New family in Austin - Special Education needed - Advices needed :()

[vPackets]

Hi !

My working location is not static. I can work one day on the north of Austin , 2 day at the south etc etc.

I don't mind to commute every day. Finding the right school for our son is my priority, even if I have to spend 4 hours in the cars every day.



Thanks

[Eddie512]

OP, do you have any contacts (through your job, friends, etc) for a real estate agent? A good one will have knowledge about schools/neighborhoods and will be very valuable. In the US, you do not "apply" to public schools...you go to the one your neighborhood is assigned to. For private schooling, you WILL have to apply. Are you open to renting for 6 months to a year?

My sister is a speech pathologist and works for Eanes ISD. She sends her children to examplary rated schools in Austin ISD, and does not see a big difference in services provided. Like I've said before, good/great schools will have good/great special Ed services. Leander ISDwill have good and great schools, but it is not a certainty like it would be in Eanes. Eanes has NO medium or bad schools, but you will pay for this privilege

Find a realtor, tell him/her your priorities, and find a good neighborhood. I would avoid extreme south or north if you will be driving all over the city. Traffic is TERRIBLE at times. You don't want to be stuck in it, away from your family, on a regular basis.

Have you been to Austin during the summer? Or are you at Least familiar with our climate? From mid-May to mid -October it is HOT. Can be oppressively, horribly hot for months at a time with no relief. Our fall/winter/spring (one season, ha!!) is mostly lovely.

[KillingTime1102]

Eanes is a fabulous school district. When you are looking for a special education program for your child you should look at the resources (funding) available and the staff to student ratio as a starting point. Low case management for teachers will lead to more in-depth time addressing your student's goals. Significant resources/money will lead to the latest and greatest tools for addressing your student's learning style. I have yet to come across a district that compares to Eanes ISD in these areas.

[vPackets]

Originally Posted by Eddie512

OP, do you have any contacts (through your job, friends, etc) for a real estate agent? A good one will have knowledge about schools/neighborhoods and will be very valuable. In the US, you do not "apply" to public schools...you go to the one your neighborhood is assigned to. For private schooling, you WILL have to apply. Are you open to renting for 6 months to a year?

My sister is a speech pathologist and works for Eanes ISD. She sends her children to examplary rated schools in Austin ISD, and does not see a big difference in services provided. Like I've said before, good/great schools will have good/great special Ed services. Leander ISDwill have good and great schools, but it is not a certainty like it would be in Eanes. Eanes has NO medium or bad schools, but you will pay for this privilege

Find a realtor, tell him/her your priorities, and find a good neighborhood. I would avoid extreme south or north if you will be driving all over the city. Traffic is TERRIBLE at times. You don't want to be stuck in it, away from your family, on a regular basis.

Have you been to Austin during the summer? Or are you at Least familiar with our climate? From mid-May to mid -October it is HOT. Can be oppressively, horribly hot for months at a time with no relief. Our fall/winter/spring (one season, ha!!) is mostly lovely.

We already have a real estate agent. she is doing a very good job so far !!

Yeah we understood that we got the school that is assigned to the neighborhood, hence the fact that prices can vary a lot

I am in the process of contacting every district and see how they handle non verbal kids with Austism ...

I haven't been impressed by Eanes for now .... I will dig deeper and let you know.

Never been there but we have friends there ... Yes we heard about how hot Austin (and TX) could be

Thanks

[Rynldsbr]

OP - another question to ask the school districts is whether they offer a charter school option that may be more flexible in instructional methods, services, or opportunities than the standard schools can be. We have found a charter school within our ISD that has been a great benefit to one of our children, and this year transferred three more kiddos into this option from the standard school track.

[centralaustinite]

Everyone on this thread, everyone, period should read this article by the Houston Chronicle documenting how the TEA the state educational agency deliberately denies special education services to Texas' children.

Heartbreaking and infuriating.

How Texas keeps out tens of thousands of children out of special education - Houston Chronicle

[eirenecat]

WOW. That was a powerful read. Thanks for posting the article, centralaustinite.