Relocation Questions....

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Originally Posted by dweej

I will concur with the statement about the schools. I live in Temecula, which has one of the highest rated school districts in SoCal....for that I'm appreciative, but as for the variety of offerings for the kids, it's still dismal. The teachers are great and the principal is wonderful (thank god!) but the funding is just not there, so no music/art/p.e. in the curriculum. Thankfully, we have so many stay-at-home moms here willing to volunteer that they've basically created a once monthly art program, but it's just not the same. No clubs or organize sports at all at the elementary level (not sure about middle and high school)- if kids are going to do/learn something along those lines, you're going to have to pay for additional extracurricular activities. There are constant fund raisers going on at our school....the teachers have to buy their own copy paper!!!! I guess what I'm saying is that we are in a great district by CA standards and it still leaves a lot to be desired.....

I went to elementary school in LAUSD (the crappiest district of all in So Cal) and there were no music/art/p.e. programs. Middle School in LAUSD and had an amazing music program I was involved in and daily P.E. High School in Temecula (Chaparral) - I chose to move out here JUST to go to high school here. The number and depth of computer related courses was great. Was actively involved in sports and even took several art and graphic design courses as well. There was no match in LA when it came to HS out here. The sheer depth of the program and the availablity of technology was a huge plus for me.

One other consideration for California when it comes to education is our UC and State college system. There is no better value for a resident at a top public university. The UCs are constantly at the top of many national lists and are a great value (my total tuition for 4 years was about $16k). My UC degree (not even from a top 3 UC school) has served me very well job-wise.

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One other thing to keep in mind regarding California schools - Prop 13. When you don't include mello roos and special assessments for basic services (streets, sidewalks, etc) our base tax is around 1.1% and for many folks that bought years ago, they are paying minimal taxes. This has had a negative impact on many districts in the area and you are witnessing the cuts that have had to be made (arts, pe, etc). In areas like Texas where the prop tax rates are often 2.5%+, you find more money can go to local schools to support the types of programs you desire. The other factor most people are uncomfortable talking about is illegal immigration. Increased spending on necessary ESL programs and gigantic student populations combined with limited taxes due to Prop 13 mean many "non-essential" programs become community projects.