Unicoi (Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol: to rent, home, buy)

[mom-n-teacher]

My husband and I are teachers and are looking at moving to the Johnson City area. We are somewhat familiar with the town, because we've been spending summers on Beech Mountain for years and coming to JC for good shopping.

My question is, what about working in JC and living in Unicoi? We've never been to Unicoi. We like the conveniences of JC but are thinking about living out in the country a bit. The salaries are better in JC, so I am not really interested in working in the smaller areas. As teachers, we could probably enroll our children in the JC schools when we get jobs. If this is not an option, what is the quality of schools in Unicoi? My son is a high school basketball and baseball player. We have a daughter who will finish up elementary next year and 1 who is a year away from Kindergarten. What else should I consider?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[mbmouse]

Personaly...I would not put my kids in Unicoi schools. They have and have had a very large drug problem in the schools, that is the top on my list, but just check out the school ratings and state report card for the rest of the reasons.
You can live in many places in Washington County (JC) that seem like they are miles away from civilization while at home and on your back porch but really rather close (within 15 minutes or so) to most everything needed.
My personal choices, others hopefully will give you theirs too, for schools are either Kingsport City or Washington County.
Hope that helps a bit and welcome to the forum! We are glad to have ya.

[jabogitlu]

I wouldn't use any schools in northeast Tennessee except Greeneville City, Washington County/Johnson City, or Sullivan County/Kingsport City. (And then, some schools in the county districts would be off limits too.)

[mom-n-teacher]

Thanks so much for your responses. It is so scary to think of uprooting your children, and where I put them in school is probably my biggest concern. Since we will be renting initially, I have some flexibility as to where they will go. But I don't want to just try out a school for a year and then move them again... especially my high schooler. I'd like to rent in an area that we would likely buy in later.

Thanks again!

[rccrain]

My "Good Schools" list includes Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol, TN city schools, Washington County Schools, and Sullivan North and South. "Acceptable Schools" include Sullivan East and Elizabethton.

Not surprisingly these are the schools with higher teacher pay, better sports and academic programs, and fewer "problems".

I'm not sure how you'd feel about the ethics of this, but if you have you Master's, you might consider leaving it off your resume. My wife is a teacher and the "inner circles" say it's nigh impossible to land a first time teaching position in the area with your Masters already in hand - exceptions being special ed, ELS, or the like.

[mom-n-teacher]

rccrain - Thanks for the heads-up about the bias against Masters degrees. Lucky for me (I guess), I only have a bachelor's degree. But I do have 8 years experience as a teacher and 10 years prior to that in non-profit administration. Do you know why there is a bias? Is it because they don't want to pay the higher salary, or do they just not feel the higher degree is valuable? You are not the first one to mention this to me. One of my current coworkers used to live in JC, and she remembers being told by a county school that she should apply in JC cause they were more interested in the "Masters degree type." Interesting, indeed. Thanks again.

[jabogitlu]

They don't want to pay the higher salary.

[rccrain]

jabogitlu is correct, all the school administrators are trying to balance a budget. I believe a Master's degree is a mandatory pay scale adjustment, which most are hesitant to do right out of the gate. I've seen two distinct biases in the teacher hiring process. The first is the Masters, with a few exceptions. The second is "longevity". A lot of young female college graduates get passed over. Especially if they are newly married, the district sees them as a "short term solution". In one our two years they will start a family and the position will turn over again. If two candidates are similar, they will "go the safe route" every time.

I really like your situation, to the district your appear to be an "experienced, long term solution" without a huge price tag. Knowing the process from my wife and her friends, I like your chances. The only thing you are missing is an "inside connection".

[mom-n-teacher]

Thanks so much for your input. It does seem that, based on what you've said, I am a "safe" choice. Luckily, I do have one connection. I was able to establish a nice relationship with the secretary in JC's HR department when I was scouting out the place last summer. While she won't be doing any of the actual hiring, we all know that it's the secretaries that make the world run!

Thanks again!

[blindsolitude]

I'm not sure if that is all true (maybe it is now due to the down economy). I'm currently in the MAT program at ETSU. We observe in the classrooms each semester. All my observation teachers have masters (either MAT or M.Ed). Its the same with my classmates. My current teacher said a lot of those in the JC school system (well, at least in her school) have a masters or are working towards a masters.