3 specific ?'s about school, weather, and teacher salaries. (Boston: apartment, public schools)

[MoonBeam33]

I've been reading a lot on the forums, so I won't ask any general questions that have been answered 100 times over, but 3 specific questions:

1. I am considering a move to Boston in about 2 years; I will be teaching HS English. I see a big discrepancy between what Boston Public schools list as teacher salaries, and what general comparison teacher salary sites say. Obviously I don't expect anyone to reveal their salary here, but what should a first year teacher (high school) really expect to make in Boston Public schools?

2. Also school related, how are school closings due to inclement weather handled? I know Boston can get some pretty bad winter storms, so do the schools close a lot, or does everyone just tough it out unless it's below zero/no power?

3. Finally, weather. Here in the midwest we get some pretty bad winter storms, but not as bad as Mass. If you live in an apartment (and thus, don't have a generator or fireplace to use for warmth) and lose power (for more than a few hours/a day) and have no family to go bunk with, what do you do?

Thank you to anyone who replies!

[eevee]

I can't answer #1, but for #2, when school is out for snow days, the missed days are usually tacked onto the end of the year. in the end, there has to be 180 days of school (I believe that's the number) so if they miss too many days during the winter, it gets made up in the summer (I swear there was a year where school let out just a week before the 4th of July)

as for #3, storms in Boston never get that bad! I know parts of western MA can get pretty bad storms and outages, but that tends not to be the case w/ Boston. I've been through some bad winter storms while living in Boston and it was rare for even the power to go out. if the power did go out, you just rough it out, wear lots of sweaters, stock up on comforters and basic supplies. most places are heated by gas or oil so an electricity failure shouldn't affect those. I suppose in extreme cases, there would be "warming stations" (similar to the cooling stations during summer heat waves) and other similar places where people can go for warmth

[smarty]

1. I am considering a move to Boston in about 2 years; I will be teaching HS English. I see a big discrepancy between what Boston Public schools list as teacher salaries, and what general comparison teacher salary sites say. Obviously I don't expect anyone to reveal their salary here, but what should a first year teacher (high school) really expect to make in Boston Public schools?

Salaries are based on degree aquire, years of experience, ... to get you to a grade... click on teacher after you get to the page.
Salaries | Boston Public Schools

3. Finally, weather. Here in the midwest we get some pretty bad winter storms, but not as bad as Mass. If you live in an apartment (and thus, don't have a generator or fireplace to use for warmth) and lose power (for more than a few hours/a day) and have no family to go bunk with, what do you do?
Find a boy friend fast... Seriously, loosing power for more than 2 days is very very rare... If something do happen, the city usually have emergency shelters (for heat or air conditioning). These shelters are usually public buildings like local HS gym.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by Annie3

I've been reading a lot on the forums, so I won't ask any general questions that have been answered 100 times over, but 3 specific questions:

1. I am considering a move to Boston in about 2 years; I will be teaching HS English. I see a big discrepancy between what Boston Public schools list as teacher salaries, and what general comparison teacher salary sites say. Obviously I don't expect anyone to reveal their salary here, but what should a first year teacher (high school) really expect to make in Boston Public schools?

2. Also school related, how are school closings due to inclement weather handled? I know Boston can get some pretty bad winter storms, so do the schools close a lot, or does everyone just tough it out unless it's below zero/no power?

3. Finally, weather. Here in the midwest we get some pretty bad winter storms, but not as bad as Mass. If you live in an apartment (and thus, don't have a generator or fireplace to use for warmth) and lose power (for more than a few hours/a day) and have no family to go bunk with, what do you do?

Thank you to anyone who replies!

Starting salary for a Boston Public School teacher is around $45,000 with a bachelor's degree, slightly higher like $48,000 with a masters or some years experience. Boston does pay slightly more than surrounding towns but with a few exceptions, you will be dealing with rowdier, more apathetic urban students, some of whom have little desire to learn. English and humanities positions are quite competitive here in Boston (as well as in the suburbs) so you unless you already have a position lined up, I would advise you to network and perhaps do some preliminary substitute teaching to get to know the BPS system.

Boston gets a fair share of snowstorms and so a fair share of snow days as well but we are not wimps at all in my opinion. Generally speaking, 6-8 inches of snow falling during the school day or the night before the school day will do in school for the day, 8 inches or more if it fell the day before.

Boston rarely loses power on a grand scale due to a snowstorm or ice storm. If that ever does happen the mayor will set up emergency shelters to keep people warm. It is more likely you will suffer a power outage during the hot summer days when EVERYONE turns on their AC at full blast. In that case, emergency shelters to keep people cool will be set up as well.