potential teacher to relocate (Mesa: schools, salary, costs)

[smileez89]

Thank you - that's encouraging! NYS does have very high standards!

[Prinny]

I don't agree w/ it easy being certified here. When they started the NCLB we had to make sure we did everything by national standards like all states. All testing and fingerprinting, background checks and workshops etc etc etc. When you do find a school you like. Check the school report card. You don't want to teach at a school that is on school improvement. (Trust me)

[shiphead]

My girlfriend is a title 1 teacher. She has 6 years experience and has a bachelors. Makes 45K. She tells me, Tempe is a good school district to get into.

[Mom_2_specialneeds]

Originally Posted by w1ngzer0

My girlfriend is a title 1 teacher. She has 6 years experience and has a bachelors. Makes 45K. She tells me, Tempe is a good school district to get into.

Tempe is a very school district, however, as a parent of a child with special needs (and the OP is a teacher for the visually impaired), Tempe was not able to serve my child's needs visually and released her to Phoenix and the Glendale School district. First to Foundation for Blind Children and then to Sweetwater where she has been given excellent education.

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by Prinny

I don't agree w/ it easy being certified here. When they started the NCLB we had to make sure we did everything by national standards like all states. All testing and fingerprinting, background checks and workshops etc etc etc. When you do find a school you like. Check the school report card. You don't want to teach at a school that is on school improvement. (Trust me)

in NYS you are required to have a masters degree within a certain period of time after starting (can't remember if it's done by 3 or started by 3 done by 5)

that alone makes it more difficult for people to become teachers in NYS

[homesweetazhome]

Hi Smileez -
FBC is a great school but as a prvt. day school the pay will be less than a public school. I work for Chandler School District part time and know that they are DESPERATE for SPED teachers. In fact, one of our Vision Teachers just moved to NY. Go to Chandler Unified School District Website and check out the job posts. There are Sped jobs and a VI job. CUSD HR :: Jobs*&*Benefits (http://ww2.chandler.k12.az.us/human-resources/ - broken link) You can also look at the pay scale on that page.

As far as housing, there are bargains to be had in Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and more right now due to the Real Estate market problems.
As a Realtor, I would die without my GPS system to get around here.

Hope this helps.

[Prinny]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

in NYS you are required to have a masters degree within a certain period of time after starting (can't remember if it's done by 3 or started by 3 done by 5)

that alone makes it more difficult for people to become teachers in NYS

Most teachers have Masters before they start teaching. I get where you are going w/ this. I think I'm trying to say that, everyone has to go through the "Highly Qualified" as they call it now process in order to teach, no matter what state they are in. Testing, education and background etc.

One thing I did forget was as soon as I taught I had to take the Arizona Constitution Course at a local College. It was full of teachers trying to get certified!

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by Prinny

Most teachers have Masters before they start teaching.

that is 100% not true

yeah - highly qualified affects everyone - but if you look at just basic supply and demand teachers are in great need here

there are some barriers they have to put up, like taking classes in SEI and your AZ Constitution class - however they've also put in place streamlined approaches to get people who aren't education certified from their education into the classroom as quickly as possible

also highly qualified exams are not necessary for teachers at an elementary level

[Finger Laker]

and for the record the AZ Constitution class is a joke - you have 2 years to get it done and many just take it online now

[Prinny]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

that is 100% not true

yeah - highly qualified affects everyone - but if you look at just basic supply and demand teachers are in great need here

there are some barriers they have to put up, like taking classes in SEI and your AZ Constitution class - however they've also put in place streamlined approaches to get people who aren't education certified from their education into the classroom as quickly as possible

also highly qualified exams are not necessary for teachers at an elementary level

I don't know what grade level you taught but highly qualified is something they want. I'm not trying to argue so it's all good here on this end. All I know is most I know have Masters Degree. Teachers salary w/ a Bachelors doesn't cut it unless you teach summer school and every after scholl activity so it comes out in the long run to just have the Masters. Maybe most you know have Bachelors, most I know have Masters. No one is right or wrong.