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I hope this is true because this thread has me truly nauseous. We're moving from TX next week. We are a single income family (DH makes the money). My immediate earning potential, should I need to work, is questionable because there is a process I'd need to go through in order to become licensed in my field in IL. DH makes over 150k which is hardly anything to complain about, but the 200k comment has me nervous. We've of course looked over our budget, including what our state taxes will be, but now anxiety is setting in over unforeseen expenses in an expensive suburb in a higher COL area. We're coming from Austin, so it isn't as if we're from small-town Texas where you buy a McMansion for 150k, but still.
Realllllly hope the schools are as amazing as I'm hoping so it will all feel worth it!
Well, I know you are focused on a home in the western part of Wilmette and the average income of families with school aged kids there almost certainly will be quite similar to what you have stated your husband's earning; no need to stress out that you will be the "poorest family" in that area. The "census averages" will include retirees and some folks living on their own, so that skews things even lower. What really matters is how your kids will feel in comparison to their classmates and by that measure you should be FINE!
If your kids are still in elementary / middle school the relative transition should be handled pretty well, the schools do make efforts to ensure kids in relocation situations are not ignored. It is more common to see dual income families in the more affordable parts of the area served by New Trier than it is in the most pricey / traditional parts of Kenilworth / Winnetka, even among families where both parents hold advanced / professional degrees a sizeable portion choose for one partner to stay home while the one with superior earnings may also have a rather hectic schedule...
Do you need $200K to feel comfortable? Absolutely not! There are certainly MANY folks that have very nice lifestyle with much more modest income. Many of the things that folks with the higher income end up paying for are completely unnecessary -- overpriced automobiles, overly lavish vacations, fancy furnishings, all such things are generally acknowledged as superficial expenditures that do little to improve one's life. Kids appreciate an inexpensive trip to Door County Wisconsin more than a lavish outing to the Rhône, but parents will be more jealous seeing photos on Facebook of their neighbors sipping wine in some ancient village overlooking vineyards than they would be of goats on the roof of a pancake house in Wisconsin...
Are the schools "amazing"? Really depends what your expectations are. The fact is the vast majority of what any school spends money on in Illinois is the salaries of staff. I say this as former teacher and I think it is fair. It is expensive to live anywhere in this region and teachers that are paid well can be expected to be competent and a stable influence for kids. Most school buildings in nicer towns are rather unimpressive, they are older and not likely to have the "cutting edge look" that architects design for new schools. The smarter school districts tackle maintenance issues as a routine matters so that they do not face huge bills all at once, but that is more or less a "fiscal management" decision not something that generally effects learning. Some districts spend a bit more on technology, but for the most part you will NOT see stuff that "blows you away" especially compared to the some of the charter schools with partnerships between firms / individuals trying to push tech solutions. The traditional approaches to most learning tend to be things that even technology executives favor for their own kids...
Who utilizes private schools inside areas with very well regarded private schools? Mostly folks looking for a different kind of social / tradition / faith experience for the whole family. There are some such parents that will babble on about how "wonderful" the private school they are sending their kids has been, but it is rather like listening to someone who drives a Maseratii seems to be unaware that most of the tech is available in cars from other makers at about 20% less -- Abusing a 2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 - Road Test I'm not saying that there are not some differences, just that those differences are highly unlikely to end up with one's kids have a life that is any way "better" than that of kids going to the excellent public schools. This is not like being stuck in a town that has only crummy public schools where kids that do not go to private schools might not really have a shot at college becuase they'd be so unprepared...
Last edited by chet everett; 06-10-2016 at 10:01 AM..
Well, I know you are focused on a home in the western part of Wilmette and the average income of families with school aged kids there almost certainly will be quite similar to what you have stated your husband's earning; no need to stress out that you will be the "poorest family" in that area. The "census averages" will include retirees and some folks living on their own, so that skews things even lower. What really matters is how your kids will feel in comparison to their classmates and by that measure you should be FINE!
If your kids are still in elementary / middle school the relative transition should be handled pretty well, the schools do make efforts to ensure kids in relocation situations are not ignored. It is more common to see dual income families in the more affordable parts of the area served by New Trier than it is in the most pricey / traditional parts of Kenilworth / Winnetka, even among families where both parents hold advanced / professional degrees a sizeable portion choose for one partner to stay home while the one with superior earnings may also have a rather hectic schedule...
Do you need $200K to feel comfortable? Absolutely not! There are certainly MANY folks that have very nice lifestyle with much more modest income. Many of the things that folks with the higher income end up paying for are completely unnecessary -- overpriced automobiles, overly lavish vacations, fancy furnishings, all such things are generally acknowledged as superficial expenditures that do little to improve one's life. Kids appreciate an inexpensive trip to Door County Wisconsin more than a lavish outing to the Rhône, but parents will be more jealous seeing photos on Facebook of their neighbors sipping wine in some ancient village overlooking vineyards than they would be of goats on the roof of a pancake house in Wisconsin...
Are the schools "amazing"? Really depends what your expectations are. The fact is the vast majority of what any school spends money on in Illinois is the salaries of staff. I say this as former teacher and I think it is fair. It is expensive to live anywhere in this region and teachers that are paid well can be expected to be competent and a stable influence for kids. Most school buildings in nicer towns are rather unimpressive, they are older and not likely to have the "cutting edge look" that architects design for new schools. The smarter school districts tackle maintenance issues as a routine matters so that they do not face huge bills all at once, but that is more or less a "fiscal management" decision not something that generally effects learning. Some districts spend a bit more on technology, but for the most part you will NOT see stuff that "blows you away" especially compared to the some of the charter schools with partnerships between firms / individuals trying to push tech solutions. The traditional approaches to most learning tend to be things that even technology executives favor for their own kids...
Who utilizes private schools inside areas with very well regarded private schools? Mostly folks looking for a different kind of social / tradition / faith experience for the whole family. There are some such parents that will babble on about how "wonderful" the private school they are sending their kids has been, but it is rather like listening to someone who drives a Maseratii seems to be unaware that most of the tech is available in cars from other makers at about 20% less -- Abusing a 2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 - Road Test I'm not saying that there are not some differences, just that those differences are highly unlikely to end up with one's kids have a life that is any way "better" than that of kids going to the excellent public schools. This is not like being stuck in a town that has only crummy public schools where kids that do not go to private schools might not really have a shot at college becuase they'd be so unprepared...
I appreciate your feedback! And it's always good to hear your perspective as you're a former teacher. High quality teachers and administration in schools is really what I'm hoping are great, more so than bells and whistles. I do know it can't be perfect of course; there are always obstacles at one point or another even in good public schools. But I'm quite hopeful about their education there.
Oh, and the funny thing about kids and vacations...
We haven't done a lot of vacations, but usually travel to see family once per year. A few years ago we went to Costa Rica. So this was a pretty huge deal for us, because we just don't do exotic vacations at all. The kids had a blast seeing volcanoes, monkeys, and waterfalls. I planned and planned for that trip to make it memorable. We also traveled to see their cousins that same summer in MN--hanging out by the lake, playing video games, etc.
At the end of the summer, my 11 year old suggested, "Maybe next summer, instead of taking 2 vacations, we can just stay longer in MN with our cousins?"
We've purchased a home in west Wilmette, district 39. Our oldest is starting high school in the Fall.
Welcome to the north shore- time to open the wallet, as they say I have a hunch that your husband may be encouraging you to re-visit the job market once he sees the two suburban cook county property tax bills
teachers that are paid well can be expected to be competent and a stable influence for kids.
Absolutely wrong. I went to a suburban district where the teachers were very well paid and had some really good teachers many average and some real real abominable teachers who were toxic and incompetent and probably unemployable in the private sector which was why they were hiding behind tenure and unions in the schools.
More money does not necessarily mean better teachers especially with unions and tenure making it near impossible to remove the poor performers.
I was fortunate that the high school had only a few bad teachers, but my JR high and elementary (to a lesser extent) had such a high concentration of just incompetent and nut-ball teachers that I badly under-performed due to the hostile environment (poor classroom management and poor teaching) and actually failed courses for the only time in my life. My parents even researched pulling me from the school and transferring to private but could not find a suitable school near by that they could afford. I graduated in the top 10% in high school with multiple honors and went on the get a STEM degree.
Last edited by MSchemist80; 06-16-2016 at 07:05 AM..
Absolutely wrong. I went to a suburban district where the teachers were very well paid and had some really good teachers many average and some real real abominable teachers who were toxic and incompetent and probably unemployable in the private sector which was why they were hiding behind tenure and unions in the schools.
More money does not necessarily mean better teachers especially with unions and tenure making it near impossible to remove the poor performers.
I was fortunate that the high school had only a few bad teachers, but my JR high and elementary (to a lesser extent) had such a high concentration of just incompetent and nut-ball teachers that I badly under-performed due to the hostile environment (poor classroom management and poor teaching) and actually failed courses for the only time in my life. My parents even researched pulling me from the school and transferring to private but could not find a suitable school near by that they could afford. I graduated in the top 10% in high school with multiple honors and went on the get a STEM degree.
Yea but take a look at the states with the highest compensated teachers versus those with the least and compare to school performance. There most definitely is a correlation between the two.
Yea but take a look at the states with the highest compensated teachers versus those with the least and compare to school performance. There most definitely is a correlation between the two.
Correlation is not causation. Just sayin' And to complete my thoughts, I fully support ending teacher lead classroom for most subjects and replacing the teachers with technology based education. But that is a different discussion.
IMNSHO, it is exactly this type of thinking that is leading our society downhill fast. Extremely sad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by usagisan
Correlation is not causation. Just sayin' And to complete my thoughts, I fully support ending teacher lead classroom for most subjects and replacing the teachers with technology based education. But that is a different discussion.
IMNSHO, it is exactly this type of thinking that is leading our society downhill fast. Extremely sad.
LOL. My way students can develop at their own natural rate without being restrained by the lack of motivation, talent, or ability of what you would deem their peers. Your way retards natural development and makes our children slaves to an archaic educational model that was designed for the benefit of the teacher and administrators. It does so at the expense of an education for our children that enthralls them and feeds their starving minds. It indoctrinates them into a culture of subservience to Government and stifles the very blood of liberty in their veins.
Obviously we differ.
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I have a hunch that your husband may be encouraging you to re-visit the job market once he sees the two suburban cook county property tax bills 
