denver for teaching? (Center: health insurance, day care, home)

[littlecrispy]

Hi everyone, I have been reading these posts about moving to Denver for a few days so I figured why not write my own! Any help is greatly appreciated.

I am a single, female, 32 yrs old- I am a teacher and am wanting to relocate to Denver.

I want to live close to downtown, but am mainly looking for a neighborhood that has a great school system to teach in, AND is safe for a single female to live in (rent), alone.

So far from what I've read, Cherry Creek has a good school system. West Washington Park sounds like a good place for 30 something singles. East Washington park sounds more like a family neighborhood..

Any other suggestions?

[bouncing]

Heh. When I was in high school, I remember the kids from Cherry Creek being rich kids.

Yeah, it has a good school system. And Denver has good schools for a big city -- it's rated among the most equitable in that respect.

Any idea where you'll be teaching?

[littlecrispy]

yeah, I've heard that about cherry creek too.. I'd rather not like in a 'wealthy' place, I'm certainly not wealthy, I'm just really concerned with living somewhere where I feel safe living alone.

I don't know where I'll be teaching, but if I know which districts are good then I will focus on pursuing jobs in those districts only.

Being single it sounded like washington park might be a good place too- instead of being surrounded by FAMILIES.... yuk!

thanks for your reply btw.

[2bindenver]

there are lots of good school districts to choose from.

on the other hand the only non family friendly area is lodo - good for singles, couples, not so hot for tweens & teens.

[Katiana]

If you want to live in the district where you teach, get the job first. If you want to teach, rather than wait tables, get the job first. There are lots of threads on here about teaching in Colorado, including Denver. If you do a search, you'll find a lot of information.

[Raven1976]

Denver is one of the areas I've thought about as a possible relocation. Is it difficult to get teaching jobs there? I'm certified prek-3rd. Of course maybe I could always open my own home day care.

[jjacobeclark]

Originally Posted by Raven1976

Denver is one of the areas I've thought about as a possible relocation. Is it difficult to get teaching jobs there? I'm certified prek-3rd. Of course maybe I could always open my own home day care.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

TABOR Has Contributed to Declines in Colorado K-12 Education Funding
• Under TABOR, Colorado declined from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income.
• Colorado’s average per-pupil funding fell by more than $400 relative to the national average.
• Colorado’s average teacher salary compared to average pay in other occupations declined from 30th to 50th in the nation.

TABOR Has Played a Major Role in the Significant Cuts Made in Higher Education Funding
• Under TABOR, higher education funding per resident student dropped by 31 percent after adjusting for inflation.
• College and university funding as a share of personal income declined from 35th to 48th in the nation.
• Tuitions have risen as a result. In the last four years, system-wide resident tuition increased by 21 percent (adjusting for inflation).

TABOR Has Led to Drops in Funding for Public Health Programs
• Under TABOR, Colorado declined from 23rd to 48th in the nation in the percentage of pregnant women receiving adequate access to prenatal care, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Colorado plummeted from 24th to 50th in the nation in the share of children receiving their full vaccinations. Only by investing additional funds in immunization programs was Colorado able to improve its ranking to 43rd in 2004.
• At one point, from April 2001 to October 2002, funding got so low that the state suspended its requirement that school children be fully vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) because Colorado, unlike other states, could not afford to buy the vaccine.

TABOR Has Hindered Colorado’s Ability to Address the Lack of Medical Insurance Coverage for Many Children and Adults in the State
• Under TABOR, the share of low-income children lacking health insurance has doubled in Colorado, even as it has fallen in the nation as a whole. Colorado now ranks last among the 50 states on this measure.
• TABOR has also affected healthcare for adults. Colorado has fallen from 20th to 48th for the percentage of low-income non-elderly adults covered under health insurance.
• In 2002, Colorado ranked 49th in the nation in both the percentage of low-income non-elderly adults and low-income children covered by Medicaid.