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OK - so far, my "ratings" of school districts come from greatschools.net and a few realtor sites - and of course, you folks. I've heard Hempfield and Manheim Township 100x... but then there are real estate costs and gee, where do we just draw the line of where we are willing to look??! Home prices are somewhat cheaper in Donegal (sure, quality of life plays a big part, what's available in town etc.), but some of you say to stay away from the schools, some say they're pretty good. How do I know?! Sure, we could go and visit, but how much will I gather meeting a few teachers and seeing the building? Anyone else have a way of rating schools and deciding what they like/don't like? We are "outsiders", so should we stick with districts known for more folks like us? And where is that again?? Hemp and Man. township?? Where is the community better - library, shopping, pool, town teams/ball fields, community involvement, parks etc.??? Thanks!
I agree about the difficulty of finding certain types of jobs as well, especially in teaching. My husband is a teacher at a private school in Lebanon now, but if he did want to go public there doesn't seem to be many jobs from him in his subject area. However, he is thinking of going back to school for educational leadership and a principal certificate, and there seems to be more jobs for higher level positions than positions such as teachers and support staff.
Also, in Lancaster County in general I think the more experience you have in your field, there is a greater likelihood of obtaining a job quicker. Businesses need people with experience for higher level positions. I moved to Lancaster County from Maryland, and got the first job I interviewed for. There were impressed because of my experience, and I was even told afterwards they struggled obtaining people with a good background because people would rather work in the Philadelphia area and make more money. They need to retain talent, but they will not pay for it...sad and simple fact. But, I didn't move here to get rich, and actually my lifestyle is more frugal and simple, so working and living in Lancaster County is a great fit for me. The more materialistic you are, the more you will hate not being able to get those higher paying jobs by staying local.
Also, there are latino/hispanic immigrants all over Lancaster, Lebanon, and Reading City. There are not usually in suburbs and in the rural areas. However, there are sections of smaller towns, usually near the "downtown" areas where I see some. Not a big deal though, I think most people around here are german in ancestory judging by the last names.
I believe your the person who once lived on Long Island right? We are originally from there also. currently we are working on a move to Lancaster.
You asked some very good questions below, some that we are wondering about ourselves. What we might do is rent for a short time to get a feel for certian areas, the schools you will likley find out about with websites & by talking to the locals when your there. When are you moving anyway?
Quote:
Originally Posted by meandb
OK - so far, my "ratings" of school districts come from greatschools.net and a few realtor sites - and of course, you folks. I've heard Hempfield and Manheim Township 100x... but then there are real estate costs and gee, where do we just draw the line of where we are willing to look??! Home prices are somewhat cheaper in Donegal (sure, quality of life plays a big part, what's available in town etc.), but some of you say to stay away from the schools, some say they're pretty good. How do I know?! Sure, we could go and visit, but how much will I gather meeting a few teachers and seeing the building? Anyone else have a way of rating schools and deciding what they like/don't like? We are "outsiders", so should we stick with districts known for more folks like us? And where is that again?? Hemp and Man. township?? Where is the community better - library, shopping, pool, town teams/ball fields, community involvement, parks etc.??? Thanks!
This is an international move for us. We have 3 kids - 10, 8 and 6. We fly 6/27 (ship our container probably a week or so earlier than that). We have use of a big fairly new house (at no cost) that friends own in Fla. right near some family that we can use until we decide where "home" will be, so that's where we're flying in to. Because of our work, we are on the road quite a bit in summer all over the east coast, but will have a decent amount of time in Pa, and our container will also ship to Pa - we'll put it into temporary storage. We decided to home school for one year to work out much of the kid's cultural/language/spelling gliches etc. and give us time to visit family, house hunt and re-integrate. In October, we'll be back to Pa to look for a home and will probably stay with my brother in Gettysburg, or even have considered corporate housing right in Lancaster county for a month or longer to "get a better feel" for the area. We'll bum around different towns and talk talk talk to folks everywhere we can. While we aren't in a rush to buy, this is a very big move for all of us, and we'd like to put a root down sometime before Christmas, get to know the community, find a home church etc and then have the kids ready for school fall '08. If we really feel lost or don't find a home we love, we'll just wait until spring to buy, but honestly, the idea of moving into an apartment, trying to make it home for the kids (and the dog) and then moving into a home again just seems too much for us (my husband also needs a home office). Of course the flip side is buying too quick and hating it later, but we've made business moves several times, overseas, and have done wonderfully, all things considered, each time, so aren't too afraid to do it again. Doing a ton of research here online (have looked in 3 states and 5 counties so far) and feeling very good about Lancaster. I know, it sounds a little nutty, and one could easily say to just rent for a year and then be "sure" later, but in 13 years this is our 10th move (4th town) and well, enough is enough! And real estate in this area seems to always be going higher - we only have so much to spend... such is life with a family...
I understand what you mean, makes sense to me! At this time what school districts are you guys leaning towards? What towns?
We are still a bit unsure of when we will make the move, but overall we are happy with Lancaster County, we will likely make a vaction there this summer to look around once again.
We will likley rent for a few months then buy after we learn our way around town better.
A move with kids isnt easy, because schools play a big role in the area we choose.
Does anybody know if Penn Manor schools are good?
Good luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by meandb
Well, we considered an apartment for a bit but...
This is an international move for us. We have 3 kids - 10, 8 and 6. We fly 6/27 (ship our container probably a week or so earlier than that). We have use of a big fairly new house (at no cost) that friends own in Fla. right near some family that we can use until we decide where "home" will be, so that's where we're flying in to. Because of our work, we are on the road quite a bit in summer all over the east coast, but will have a decent amount of time in Pa, and our container will also ship to Pa - we'll put it into temporary storage. We decided to home school for one year to work out much of the kid's cultural/language/spelling gliches etc. and give us time to visit family, house hunt and re-integrate. In October, we'll be back to Pa to look for a home and will probably stay with my brother in Gettysburg, or even have considered corporate housing right in Lancaster county for a month or longer to "get a better feel" for the area. We'll bum around different towns and talk talk talk to folks everywhere we can. While we aren't in a rush to buy, this is a very big move for all of us, and we'd like to put a root down sometime before Christmas, get to know the community, find a home church etc and then have the kids ready for school fall '08. If we really feel lost or don't find a home we love, we'll just wait until spring to buy, but honestly, the idea of moving into an apartment, trying to make it home for the kids (and the dog) and then moving into a home again just seems too much for us (my husband also needs a home office). Of course the flip side is buying too quick and hating it later, but we've made business moves several times, overseas, and have done wonderfully, all things considered, each time, so aren't too afraid to do it again. Doing a ton of research here online (have looked in 3 states and 5 counties so far) and feeling very good about Lancaster. I know, it sounds a little nutty, and one could easily say to just rent for a year and then be "sure" later, but in 13 years this is our 10th move (4th town) and well, enough is enough! And real estate in this area seems to always be going higher - we only have so much to spend... such is life with a family...
I have to say that one of the "Best Kept Secrets" is Clay Elementary School on the western side of Ephrata. We are moving for work reasons, and we will really miss the school. It recently had millions put into an expansion, and is fast becoming the school to beat in the area. The teachers are dedicated and very easy to communicate with. Not that this should matter, but this school has the highest income earners in the area... I suppose I mention this because overall in school evaluations it does tend to make the standards higher.
A country setting yet a school that truly strives for excellence... don't discount this area, guys, as I have a feeling it is soon going to be the desirable place to be. We will be sorry to leave for many reasons. As far as the driving amongst buggies, well, in our area there isn't much traffic, and I have never had a problem sharing the roads. We back on to Mennonite and Amish farmland so have buggies around frequently... but there is a high level of respect between them and cars.
We have truly enjoyed our time here (with a few little things on the negative, but not enough to tell people not to move) and would highly recommend our immediate area to any young family wanting safety, a high educational standard, and a respectful attitude to elders and property.
I understand what you mean, makes sense to me! At this time what school districts are you guys leaning towards? What towns?
We are still a bit unsure of when we will make the move, but overall we are happy with Lancaster County, we will likely make a vaction there this summer to look around once again.
We will likley rent for a few months then buy after we learn our way around town better.
A move with kids isnt easy, because schools play a big role in the area we choose.
Does anybody know if Penn Manor schools are good?
Good luck
Hi again!
We are leaning towards Hempfield, Manheim Township, Warwick (Lititz area) and Penn Manor. One real estate site (sorry, can't remember which) had ratings - I think the shreiner group - and those are all listed as "above average" and greatschools.net has also rated them very well, with just a few exceptions in between that were average. I tend to look at the high school ratings more even though my kids are young, assuming if you can control kids as teens, it must be a bit easier when they are younger - if I see high school ratings drop in a district, I wonder... I also read all the parent comments that were available on that site and they sound very positive. Elizabethtown schools were also rated "above average", but that is a bit far out of town (Lancaster) for me, and Ephrata might also be good, but we have family in Gettysburg and don't want to head too far east either. I do believe Penn Manor schools are also a good choice.
Let me know if you find more info. on these areas! Take care!
Thank you! Actually if you go back to the forum you will see a thread i just now started asking some lancaster people to help with school choices.
So when is your move date? Coming soon? We have a house to clean up, put on the market & sell, hopefully we can get moving fast on that!
Have a great day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by meandb
Hi again!
We are leaning towards Hempfield, Manheim Township, Warwick (Lititz area) and Penn Manor. One real estate site (sorry, can't remember which) had ratings - I think the shreiner group - and those are all listed as "above average" and greatschools.net has also rated them very well, with just a few exceptions in between that were average. I tend to look at the high school ratings more even though my kids are young, assuming if you can control kids as teens, it must be a bit easier when they are younger - if I see high school ratings drop in a district, I wonder... I also read all the parent comments that were available on that site and they sound very positive. Elizabethtown schools were also rated "above average", but that is a bit far out of town (Lancaster) for me, and Ephrata might also be good, but we have family in Gettysburg and don't want to head too far east either. I do believe Penn Manor schools are also a good choice.
Let me know if you find more info. on these areas! Take care!
We leave here June 27th and will be near family awhile - the house is up for sale and we have 2 potential buyers right now. Will ship a container mid June. (Gee, wonder where we'll live in between?!) Looking to actually buy in Lancaster in October or so. I feel for you with getting your home sale-ready - wishing you strength! Great school thread started by the way!
Can anyone out there give nitty gritty about the area - shopping, new stores/communities going up, traffic areas, roads being widened/changed, and things for kids to do!
In advance - thanks again!
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Well now how do I choose??
