Unsure about the next move! (Atlanta, Lawrenceville: lease, homes, buying)

[d.educator]

Hi!!! I am currently a Special Education teacher in the state of Virginia. However, I have just completed my Master's in Education Administration and I am certified to be an Assistant Principal (preferably on the Middle School level). But I have a dilema - I want to relocate to Atlanta, but i need some contacts with any area public school systems. Also any information on the housing market (should I rent or buy a home) would be greatly appreciated.

[SaraSatin]

I don't know about contacts in the schools around here, but what I would suggest is to decide what you want to do when you get here. If you are the type of person who likes to help rebuild and fix a community then look for schools that might need a little help and work on their leadership and programs. Otherwise, go to greatschools.net and find the schools with the highest scores.

As far as renting or buying, my suggestion is always rent when you first move to a new place. You can sign a 6 month lease somewhere close to where you will be working and give yourself time to decide exactly where you want to be in the long run. Try and stay close to where you work, traffic here is hell, and give yourself a chance to really look. There is so much available to buy right now and it won't change soon enough to affect you.

[jeffreda30238]

I would recommend Gwinnette County School system. They seem to be the most stable as far as teacher retention and good pay(from my research). Since it's a "buyers market' i would definately recommend buying especially in Gwinnette. The homes are priced reasonably and it is a lovely place to live. I would recommend Lawrenceville, Duluth, and/or Suwanee as far as the cities to live in, in Gwinette County.

[goozer]

One of the big problems in the DC area is that the housing prices are now out of reach for most educators, unless you have a healthy second income. We have a real problem in this country with not paying teachers enough (it's a little better for high-level school administrators, but not much). Everyone wants to live in a good school district and have their kids get a top quality education, but few people want to see their taxes raised to ensure that their kids get this high quality of education. Good luck with your efforts to move to Atlanta. I think you will find it a much more "livable" area on an educator's salary.