A 2007 report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO 2007) estimated that 12 million "unauthorized immigrants" lived in the United States, defining the term "unauthorized immigrants" as "foreign citizens residing in the United States illegally." Without providing exact numbers, in his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama addressed the educational status of students who are unauthorized. Unfortunately, exact data are unavailable about the cost of educating students who are unauthorized residents. Even absent specific data, educating students who are unauthorized residents can have a significant effect on school board budgets. As debates about immigration rage, issues about educating children of unauthorized immigrants continue to arise. Aware of the ongoing debate over immigration that extends even to the terminology used when referring to students and their parents, the author hopes to steer clear of the political fray. In this article, the author focuses on the education and law questions that children who are unauthorized residents present for school business officials (SBOs), their boards, and other education leaders. He contends that it is incumbent on SBOs and all education leaders to optimize their programs so that they can offer the best, most cost-effective education possible for all students.