Interviews in Keene & Dover Schools - Help (Rochester, Portsmouth: low income, neighborhoods)

[lmdotes]

Hello to everyone. My husband fortunately has two interviews scheduled for teaching positions in the next two weeks. The first one is in Keene, and the second one is in Dover. One end of the state to the other. We are making progresss on our dream to relocate, and hoping that maybe one or two more interviews comes through for this trip. It would be nice to combine them in one shot.

We have done alot of research into Keene, mainly because a close friend grew up there and raves about it as an incredible family town with a nice state college, nice downtown, lots of outdoors stuff, etc.. We are definitely looking for an area like that. Not too big, not too small. We read recently that the proposed budget increase for Keene schools was voted down, and we are wondering how that will affect Keene's schools. If I lived there, I probably would have voted it down myself (I think it was going to make a 15%increase in taxes). I read in the Keene Sentinel that there has been some talk of eliminating positions, but now it looks like the city is focusing more on program elimination or cutting back on programs (like athletics). We also were made aware by another poster that Keene is on the AYP "watch list" for performance (as is Dover). We are not militant about the AYP goals (don't get my hubby started on No Child Left Behind), but it's definitely something to look further into. Any feedback on the current state of Keene schools from anyone out there?

Dover...I don't know what to think and need some confirmation. We have some early information through research that Dover is not that great of an area. Problems with poverty and drugs? I was reading online tonight that Dover actually has a housing authority that manages 450+ low income units. Can anyone shed some light on the Dover situation? How is the high school there? I mainly ask because if the situation there is of socioeconomic issues, it is not an area we want to pursue. We currently live in an area of Virginia with a high poverty rate and almost a third of the kids who attend my husband's high school qualify for free lunch. It's not so much "people being poor" that we are trying to get away from (I grew up in a single parent household living on hot dogs and bread), but socioeconomic status does impact the quality of the schools, the students, and the teachers. We have two children we will educate through public schools, so we need to think about them, in addition to the quality of kids my husband will teach.

Any insight anyone can provide related to these two areas would be most appreciated!! Thanks!

[unknown stuntman]

Yes, you are correct about Dover's drug usage and there have been alot of huge busts in coordination with federal narcotics agents in recent times. There are also alot of UNH students that reside in Dover and by that, I am just saying that recreational drug use could be higher than usual. Hard drugs, I'm not sure, as I don't have a break down of the figures. "Dirty Dover" is the running punchline amongst many in the Seacoast area. The thing that is so disappointing, is that downtown Dover is an alluring area: good shopping, bars, places to eat. Your initial impression would be positive I believe and that tag line to at least some degree, I think is unfair.
Some of the issue I think is that you have Somersworth one town away to the north and Berwick, Maine as well. Trashy as can be and the mannerisms of alot of the town people leave alot to be desired, to try and be polite as I can. I'm not just talking rude- I'm talking trashy: parents cussing at 3-year old children, 3-year old children cussing at parents (I'm not kidding), teen pregnancy. Sorry if in this case I sound unfair to some, but my experiences in much of Somersworth particularly have been real unpleasant numerous times. Some of this seems to carry over into Dover, as the north end of town is where all the region's citizens go for your typical outlet shopping and franchise eating experience. I say all this because if you go and experience that side of Dover, it may not be reflective of that town's own public school system to be fair.
Although I can't give you alot of insight to Keene, I have spent enough time there to tell you the quality of life is far better and the poverty isn't apparent, but given my personal choice I might choose Dover because of the proximity to the ocean, Portsmouth, and Boston, not to mention UNH (if your husband forsees down the line perhaps moving on to a college teaching profession?). Yes Dover has some ugly, poverty-stricken areas, but again downtown isn't bad and while it isn't some where I recommend as worth visiting in NH, it isn't an armpit top to bottom like hundreds of other places I've experienced just in New England alone.
And while I haven't heard Dover mentioned in the same breath with "fine public education" in relative terms in the region, I also haven't heard/read anything in regards to total chaos or the nightmares at Spaulding HS in nearby Rochester, which has had it's share of issues with bullying and rampant drug possession and usage.

[lmdotes]

Unknown stuntman - thanks so much for all of your excellent feedback. I was just online tonight and saw that a math teacher was arrested at Rochester HS for sexual assault! No wonder they are advertising for so many teaching openings there.

It sounds like a definite "spillover" issue from one town to another with Dover and Somersworth, which would be a similar situation to what we have here in Lynchburg and it's surrounding communities. Think of Lynchburg as an oasis (HA) with lots of backwater citizens coming from the surrounding counties. We haven't had as many problems with drugs, but the "trash" factor and high teen pregnancy rate (30 last year at my husband's school) all sound very familiar. On the face of it, our town is a nice one... they are trying to revitalize downtown, nice neighborhoods, bucolic setting, but that's about 40% of the town. The rest of it is really, really bad.

My husband plans of keeping the interview at Dover, but we definitely are going in with open eyes. We are anxious to see Keene...somehow we feel like we are meant to be there.

[unknown stuntman]

Good luck imdotes! Yes Spaulding has a plethora of serious issues. And the things you mention in regards to concerns, if you can be flexible w/ distance and housing prices, I would recommend plenty of towns of different variety within 30 minutes of Dover in every direction except to the north (Exeter, Barrington, Durham, Lee, Madbury, Portsmouth, Hampton, North Hampton, Hampstead, Newfields all can be good choices for the right person). Newmarket is another place I'd advise against, but not for the same reasoning as some where like Somersworth. Newmarket has a whole slew of other issues despite being a good town to hang out for part of a day.

[irishmom]

I'm sure others have noticed this, but it seems anywhere along I-95 has drug issues. I could be wrong but even in states that you don't usually associate with high drug areas seem to have problems along I-95. Any thoughts on this?