[sinatras]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Native89

My husband and I have tossed around the idea of moving from our home state of Wisconsin to pretty much anywhere in Florida. I’m tired of the long winters and I’m ready for some sunshine year-round. We take cruises from south Florida frequently and have visited Disney in August so I’m familiar with these humid FL days. They don’t bother us. My husband has his masters degree in K-12 school administration and is considering his first Assistant Principal job in FL or WI. The problem we are facing is we are well aware that FL ranks at the bottom of national charts for public schooling. WI schools rank somewhere in the upper third. He is currently a teacher at a top rated school in WI and from what we can see on the FL teacher/administrator pay scale it will be a lateral move or even a pay cut to FL. I know my husband is going to be a fantastic assistant principal wherever he ends up working. Can anyone who either works in FL public school districts as a teacher or administrator share with me their experiences so we can make up our mind on if a move to FL will be a good investment for his school administration career?

Moving to Florida requires many sacrifices. One of them is resigning yourself to the fact that the public schools (and the administration of said schools) suck.

You can't have it all. If you want warmth, you will have to give up something. In Florida it might be more than one thing you will give up, but that's for another thread.

[beach43ofus]

There are plenty of great public schools in Florida, and the areas they can be found in have been mentioned in this thread repeatedly.
I wish people who are unhappy with their lives would stop bashing Florida on every topic thread.

If you dont like it here...LEAVE! You will not be missed.

[Florida2014]

I really think people get way WAY too caught up in school district rankings. I was admittedly guilty of this moving here to FL and choose St Johns Co (#1 at the time) as we had a toddler who would be entering the district soon. At the time I had a number of priorities: low cost of living, affordable housing, low crime, moderate traffic, weather, and yes, school district.

Thinking back, I was a product of what was and still is considered a bad school in a declining school district (also in the midwest) and came out just fine. I was not an A student but got into a nice, private college and have made a nice living for myself and my family. I keep in touch with many of my classmates through social media and, as a whole, they are all doing well in their respective careers too. I really feel like parenting is the more critical measure of a child's success.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't let the school district ranking be the sole determining factor where you live. Of course you do not want to live in the very worst districts probably for a number of reasons (associated crime and overall lifestyle) but if your husband found a job in a district with a "5" ranking but had all the other boxes checked you're looking for, I wouldn't let that sway me from making the move. Remember there is also nothing keeping you from moving again if for some reason things don't work out. Maybe think about renting a home first before deciding to call an area home for the long-term.

[beach43ofus]

Sometimes, there are great schools located in bad school districts, and there can also be bad schools located within great districts. I look at the school cluster in a certain area. I look at the elementary's that feed into the Middle School, the Middle School, and the High School collectively.

I also tried to move as close to the Elementary school as possible to we wouldnt be re-zone to a nearby school if overcrowding or growth came into play.