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Grant Hildebrandt: residency checks found many out‑of‑district students and the district reports roughly $786,000 in annual savings
Summary
Grant Hildebrandt, district supervisor of student special services, told the Gloucester Township Public Schools board his office opened about 175 residency investigations this year, leading to the transfer of roughly 126 students out of the district across different categories and an estimated savings of approximately $786,340 for the year.
Grant Hildebrandt, the district supervisor of student special services, told the Gloucester Township Public Schools board that his office opened about 175 residency investigations over the past year and currently has 10 active investigations.
Hildebrandt said the investigations aim to verify whether students live within the district and that staff have encountered cases in which families used false affidavits or incorrect addresses. "We looked into a 175 different cases this year," he said, and added that the team identified instances where students were attending schools outside their home district because of residential placements or incorrect residency claims.
He told the board that last year the district identified 61 students residing outside the district who were using Gloucester Township schools and transferred them out; this year the number identified rose to 103 and were transferred. Hildebrandt also said 23 students were attending a different school in the district where they should not have been and were transferred; active investigations now number about 10 with more pending for September.
Using the New Jersey administrative code formula for tuition and related calculations, Hildebrandt reported that last year’s savings from corrected placements was about $305,600 and that the district’s estimated savings this year were approximately $786,340. Superintendent (title listed in meeting) and board members praised the staff for the work and asked follow‑up questions about evidence thresholds and investigative follow‑up.
Board members pressed on accuracy: Hildebrandt estimated his investigations are "probably above 50%" effective in producing actionable results, saying some cases lack sufficient evidence or the family’s circumstances change once an investigation begins. He said the department will continue to pursue pending cases and begin a new set of investigations in September.
The board did not take formal policy action during this report; members asked for continued enforcement and for staff to revisit any procedures that could reduce repeat occurrences.
The presentation concluded with board thanks to Hildebrandt and his staff for the residency work.
