Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
looks like a no-win situation. How about home schooling or private/christian school? Our dtr. went from 2nd grade thru H.S in christian school - good education - she graduated Summa *** Laude from Roanoke College and has a good job, her own house, age 26 - what more can you ask for?
Not all of us can afford Christian schools-especially with multiple kids. Plus, son w/ special needs cant go to a private school-most special ed. programs are for public schools only.
I cant homeschool; I have to work.
swimchick, I know folks who do the Chapel Hill to downtown Raleigh commute. I think one of my friends rides the bus. If you can avoid rush hour it's not too bad — maybe 35-40 minutes depending on your start and end points. Rush hour would not be super fun, though.
I wouldn't live in Chapel Hill unless you like the town, though. It's fairly different from Raleigh and Cary. It's a college town and is super liberal and academic and, of course, college sports are huge. It could be a hard place for a conservative to live. It's a great place if that appeals, though.
The schools are well-funded and parents are very involved with many great teachers. The school system is regularly the highest performing public system in the state.
Honestly, no, given the worst case scenario, I could homeschool (and we are not religious) because once upon a time I was a teacher. However, we are fortunate enough to be able to send our kids to private school for as long as they want to be there. We send our kids to private school because we personally love the curriculum, but we're a gay couple and the school they attend is totally accepting and all of that good stuff. Going through surrogacy and adoption to have kids is counterproductive if you're going to send them off to get bullied.
In terms of the costs, I won't go into that because it's not really in good taste. However, I know that the school does give aid to families. A lot of families, including us, donate to make that happen.
No teachers have taken pay cuts, they actually got a small raise this year. Of course budgets are being slashed, things are tough all over....... Sounds like people are venting about individual schools, not the system as a whole. If you have a problem at your school, it's best to address it with the principal.
I actually went out on maternity leave last year and I know that my administration made every effort and finally found a certified sub to take my place. I know principals work very hard to make sure that they have certified subs when necessary. Last year we had 6 teachers out on maternity leave at the same time and had certified subs in all those positions. Long term sub jobs are actually a really good way to get your foot in the door if you are a new or transferring teacher.
In the end, people who are unhappy will talk about their experience and people who are happy are not as likely. Wake county is a huge county and the majority of people are very happy here. I came from a very large county in metro Atlanta (with crappy neighborhood schools) and I can tell you that Wake county schools are well run.
I heard nothing but great things about wake county schools prior to moving here....as a teacher it was "the" school system to work at due to a bit more prestige and more monetary incentives compared to surrounding counties.
We ended up in Johnston county for a few reasons....first, it was easier for me to get a teaching job compared to wake because wake was more desirable for the reasons mentioned above....also, housing prices here in Johnston were less...more house for the money. Also...I like the traditional calendar for both myself and my daughter...so that also was a factor. We come from south jersey which is more rural...so moving to Johnston county did not feel as "hick" to us as it would others coming from more suburban/urban parts of the northeast.
So my long winded answer is basically, yes, the wake county schools did deter us from moving to wake county...and now with the reassignment issues it probably still would today if we were moving...we most likely would look at surrounding counties if my job was not in wake. I thing commte time/expense should be a major factor in the choice of where you want to live. I have never lived more Han 10-15 minutes from my job, and have never had to commute on major highways(always back country roads).....and I think that is a major perk in any job in both monetary savings in gad, car repairs etc...and daily commute to e and traffic frustration.
Many folks on this thread are acting like the Wake County system is a disaster, and clearly it is not.
True, there are challenges, all stemming from the fact that the area is growing faster than the building of schools has kept up. Apparently the (negative) forecast for an increased need for more schools was not correct. Several years ago I remember reading that the issue (regarding adding more schools) was related to changing population demographics. The forecast was for a decrease in number of children being born per family, and that while Wake Co. needed more seats in the short run, the preciction was that that need would not continue. If a lot of schools were built 5-6 years ago, they would only be needed for that current cohort (generation) and not beyond. That is the reason that year-round schools were introduced, so that the imagined Temporary need for more schools could be met within the existing infrastructure, by using the schools during the summer.
HOWEVER, Wake County continued to grow, beyond many peoples' expectations. Why? Because it is a wonderful area for raising and educating kids, plus many of the jobs that are here by and large trend toward the higher end of the income scale. It is that desirablility that has led to this new Temporary crisis: how to get those new schools built (and when they are built they are always spectactular) while determining how to distribute kids into the existing schools. When an area develops quickly, residential growth is not always from the center then expanding out homogeneously. Here, growth happened patchwork fashion since not all landowners were ready to sell for residential development. So we had somewhat patchy residential growth at first and now we are in the period of in-fill.
Since the reputation of our area is really good, the in-fill always introduces more expensive homes than were originally in that area (on average), but there are not enough classroom seats in the immediate area for all the new kids. The school board was no doubt trying hard to find creative solutions to the issue, but for apparently political reasons could never agree to a unified plan. The voters know this (ie., the highly political motivations of the current board) and will forthwith be watching carefully that the board gets its act together. Soon all will be ironed out, voters will approve more monies for new schools (several are already in advanced planning stages), and all will be well. Meanwhile, Wake County schools are for the most part turning out exeptionally well adjusted, well educated students.
I am a WCPSS parent and teacher, and I have no regrets about our choices.
That said, I do want to clear this up.
"No teachers have taken pay cuts, they actually got a small raise this year." That depends on how you look at it. The salary scales includes a "step" up in pay for each year of experience that you gain. Those steps have been cut out for years. Given that the salary scale was in place when we were hired, we have gotten a pay cut from what we were expecting to be paid. Also, the ABC performance incentive was remove, so the bonus for achieving high growth with out students was cut.
Wow! Thanks, everyone - I really, really appreciate all of your advice and input.
Do you know how approx far Carrboro/Chapel Hill would be from the Raleigh Capitol building? Also, I heard that route 40 (?) was closing for repairs. Will that impact the drive from Carrboro/CH?
Thanks again!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois
It's not a fun commute between Raleigh & Chapel Hill--I did it 20 years ago and 8 years ago, an the increase in traffic was massive--I can't imagine what it's like now.
Not aware of 40 "closing for repairs". There is no way they can shut down the most major highway in the Triangle Area, so they would only close one part of it at a time, which is pretty much always happening somewhere due to continual widening.
To work near the Capitol Bldg, I personally would not pick Chapel Hill to live in (it's also probably the most expensive place in the area to live)
I would agree with Francois.
While I don't think I-40 is closing (if it were I would be screwed) there is a part between exits 270-289 where sometimes it's fast and sometimes a parking lot. Either way I would not relish the idea of commuting between Chapel hill and Raleigh.
Also CH/Carrboro probably has the best schools, but it is expensive relatively speaking.
I often commute around the triangle. I currently commute from N. Raleigh to Chapel Hill, but I also used to do the downtown Raleigh to Chapel Hill commute.. If you live in Carrboro/Chapel hill and commute to Raleigh, you will encounter heavy traffic on I-40 unless you ar able to leave work around 3:30 to 4 pm. Traffic gets backed up both ways between Wade Avenue and 147 on I-40. I think during regular work hours, your commute would be about 45 in the morning and 60 minutes after work.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
