Teaching/living in Flathead County (Kalispell, Whitefish: apartment, rent, condo)

[jcme]

[SIZE=2]Can anyone tell me about living in Flathead County? I am especially looking for input from teachers in the county (pay, philosophy, etc.); I am a Pennsylvania-certified elementary school teacher looking to teach in the region. I have spent two of the last three summers working outside the Park and I am thinking about relocating to somewhere near Kalispell/Whitefish. Is the county looking for teachers? Any input is much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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[bigtrees]

Ah yes, yet another person wanting to teach in Montana.

Well, you can do a search and see I provided the same information to other people thinking about it. The big one is money. Teaching in Montana doesn't pay well. Starting pay is around 22k a year, you might get 40-45k by the time you get close to retirement. Most teachers have a summer gig (some work in the park) to bring in extra dough, but most summer gigs don't pay very well either. Larger school districts pay better than smaller ones. I see you are a 25 year old male, so I'd probably guess you'd earn about 25k a year at a Montana school.

Second is competition. 100-500 applications for one teaching position is not uncommon in Montana, especially in the Flathead Valley (which is desireable).

Lastly, winters are a complete opposite of what you have seen in the summer. Winters are endless gray and go on forever in the Flathead. You'll want to spend some time there before committing to move.

[jcme]

Eck, I expected that kind of competition for teaching jobs. Flathead seems like the kind of place that people never leave. It's still not as bad as where I currently live, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where there are literally thousands of applicants for elementary positions. I was recently told there were upwards of seven thousand applicants for a middle school history position in one of the better districts! I recently finished a long-term subbing position but still find myself three years down a hiring list! The six inches of snow we got while I was living in St. Mary this past summer helps me anticipate the much, much worse winter. Balancing the romanticism and the reality is something I want to try! I just need that seemingly elusive job in the classroom. I've been looking into teaching on the Blackfeet Reservation, but living in that region -- weather-wise as well as the desolation of it -- seems like too much to take ...

[jimj]

Here's the bigfork Schools salary matrix:
2008-09 BAEA SALARY SCHEDULE
STEP BA BA15 BA30 BA45 BA60/MA BA75/MA15/PHD
1. 26,715 27,623 28,558 29,467 30,402 31,310
2. 27,784 28,799 29,814 30,829 31,844 32,859
3. 28,852 29,974 31,070 32,192 33,287 34,409
4. 29,921 31,150 32,325 33,554 34,730 35,958
5. 30,989 32,325 33,581 34,917 36,172 37,508
6. 32,058 33,501 34,836 36,279 37,615 39,057
7. 33,127 34,676 36,092 37,641 39,057 40,607
8. 34,195 35,852 37,348 39,004 40,500 42,156
9. 35,264 37,027 38,603 40,366 41,943 43,706
10. 38,202 39,859 41,729 43,385 45,255
11. 39,378 41,114 43,091 44,828 46,805
12. 40,553 42,370 44,454 46,270 48,354
13. 41,729 43,626 45,816 47,713 49,904
14. 42,904 44,881 47,179 49,156 51,453
15. 46,137 48,541 50,598 53,003
16. 49,904 52,041 54,552

Here's a current list from Kalispell.
Notice of Position Vacancy
School District No. 5
233 First Ave. East
Kalispell, MT 59901

January 15, 2004


Job Title: Title 1 Tutor (2 positions)

Department: Elrod Elementary School (full-time position – 7 hrs/day)
Russell Elementary School (part-time position – 3.5 hrs/day – afternoons)


Salary: $11.10 per hour

Qualifications:
Two years (60 credits) college or AA degree required.
Preference will be given to individuals with prior teaching or related experience; preference given to applicants with degree in education, or extensive college training in field of education; preference given to individual with Early Steps training or willingness to take Early Steps training this school year. Course work and/or experience in working with children in an educational setting is desirable. Knowledge of instructional materials and techniques currently used in grades K-6 is desirable.


Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Provide instructional services under direct teacher supervision.
2. Provide 1:1 or small group instructional assistance in reading, math and written language.
3. Assist in classroom organization and management.
4. Organize instructional and other materials

Duties may include:

1. Assist in the computer lab.
2. Conduct Parent Involvement Activities
3. Provide library, media center assistance and support.
4. Provides instructional assistance in reading, math and written language to identified Homeless students.
5. May be asked to assume limited duties and responsibilities assigned to similar personnel not Title funded including duties beyond classroom instruction or that do not benefit participating students, so long as the amount of time spent on such duties in the same proportion of total work time as for other personnel at the same school.
6. NCLB Law, Section 119(g) duties are listed. Other functions may be required as given or assigned.

[jcme]

I have my masters so, thankfully, that puts me a little higher up on the pay scale. Making around $25,000 a year, are you able to live comfortably in Flathead County?

[jimj]

Originally Posted by jcme

I have my masters so, thankfully, that puts me a little higher up on the pay scale. Making around $25,000 a year, are you able to live comfortably in Flathead County?

That depends on many variables. What you consider comfortable, do you rent or buy,how many people,how much debt you have etc.

[bigtrees]

The trouble with having a masters is the school district has to pay you more than a teacher without their masters. So given the choice between a more expensive and less expensive candidate, school districts (that are tight on money) will most often choose the less expensive candidate. Such is life in Montana school systems.

[jcme]

Rent, me and a dog, debt-free, and more than capable of "living on the cheap." The condo life is not for me!

[bigtrees]

Renting a house or renting an apartment?

[jcme]

Preferably a small house, shared or solo (I'm sure shared would be cheaper, of course). I look at Craigslist pretty frequently and seem to find two-bedroom houses near Whitefish that are around $800 a month, which seems reasonable. Getting that teaching job seems like the hard part for this region. I'm going to start putting out my applications for next fall in a month or so ...