good schools summerville/goose creek? (Charleston, Mount Pleasant: neighborhood, high school, live in)

[Jim3310]

luvmyfam5

The neighborhoods are well within your price range.
It seems to me that the schools are more important to you.

Am I right in assuming that only your 5y.o. is the only special needs?

There are some schools that may cater better to your specific situation than others.

[luvmyfam5]

Jim3310

Yes, the schools are the most important to us. My 5yr old is the only one with special needs. He has a developmental delay and speech. His program here is going so well, I really need to find a school that is the right fit. I've also heard that Mount Pleasant has good schools? Thanks for any information!

[SCDweller]

Luvmyfamily...I contacted Dorchester 2 to see what they offer for children with special needs similar to your child and got the following response...
"We have a continuum of services. If your child has a significant delay, we
have PDK programs in five of our school sites for special needs students. If
your child can function with his/her typically developing peer group, the
placement could be kindergarten with supplemental services. In all
placements, your child will have access to speech therapy services. We have,
at minimum, 1.5 speech therapists assigned to each elementary building.
I hope this provides you the information you need. If not, please let me
know. I will be happy to provide further information.
Thank you for considering Dorchester School District Two.
Sincerely,
Sharon Puckett
Director of Pupil Personnel Services"

[Jim3310]

that's all good stuff from SCDweller, and it may suffice;

if you want to talk to someone who actually has kids in the system, let me know...

jim

[SCDweller]

One more thing. It sounds like Anna Revill is the person you need to talk with arevill@dorchester2.k12.sc.us She sent me an e-mail this morning inquiring more about your situation. If you want a direct contact, I would talk with her.

[luvmyfam5]

Thank you for your help everyone. I'm going to contact her and ask all my million question!

[SCDweller]

Wonderful! I'm sure she'll be able to help you and point you in the right direction. Let us know when you need anything else.

[beth1104]

I've visited the area twice now, still trying to decide on the right area to settle in when I move there next Spring. I was leaning toward Summerville after reading these threads, but our family just didn't have a good feeling about it... too many abandoned buildings and junk cars etc. most everywhere we drove. The High School that I keep hearing about looked fairly run down. Mt Pleasant seemed a bit more "well kept", but I realize you pay for it. I've never really gotten a straight answer on West Ashley... it seems noone wants to "put it down", but I feel I'm being steered away from it. I liked the homes I saw there, the prices are more reasonable than Mt Pleasant, and (I think) is closer to downtown Chrlston and the beaches. How is the school system? Any opinions? Thanks!!!

[USCJoe]

The prices of homes in West Ashley are not terribly less expensive than those in Mt. Pleasant and for the most part you would be further from the beach in the more reasonable West Ashley neighborhoods and probably not a great deal closer to down town. The test scores of schools in West Ashley are generally lower than those in Mt. Pleasant. Both West Ashley High School and West Ashley middle school received a "Unsatisfactory" score on the 2007 State report card and two others a "below average" score. By contrast, Wando High School received an "excellent" score and seven other East Cooper area schools also receiving an "excellent" score. Laing Middle school in Mt. Pleasant received a "average" score and the others a "good" score. As I have mentioned in the past, I hate to judge a school by how they "grade out" but it is one of the few objective factors available to compare schools. The Charleston area is probably no different than many other areas of the country in there being a direct relationship between school scores and the cost of housing.

[Jim3310]

Originally Posted by beth1104

I was leaning toward Summerville... our family just didn't have a good feeling about it... too many abandoned buildings and junk cars etc. most everywhere we drove. The High School that I keep hearing about looked fairly run down.

I don't want to be too critical here but "'Most everywhere we drove?" and "Fairly run down"?

Subjective yes, but just as powerful a feeling for a family passing through.

What did you think when you went into the High School & saw the inside as opposed to the dated exterior? Did you get to tour the advanced art department?

How about the new High School? That's a great exterior, but we have to wait on the interior for a bit yet.

Mt. Pleasant may be an option for you. You pay more, but it's pretty straight forward, as long as you don't go too far off the beaten path.