Some Hard Truths for folks thinking of moving to Cary: (Charlotte: transplants, salary)

[weluvwakeforest]

Originally Posted by VickiR

People can be so funny sometimes. Think of this...people from other areas mention that their schools are so much better, yet, they are leaving those areas. Why are the schools better? TAXES ARE SO MUCH HIGHER IN THOSE AREAS. Then these same people come here and don't want a tax increase. They come here to pay less taxes and still want the benefit of more schools. Am I simplifying this or am I missing something?

The schools and the roads are having trouble keeping up with growth. Our taxes SHOULD be raised and yet the folks that complain most about the schools want the least amount of taxes.

Vicki

Vicki

No Vicki, you are right. Thanks for stating the obvious...

[LisaZ]

Originally Posted by VickiR

People can be so funny sometimes. Think of this...people from other areas mention that their schools are so much better, yet, they are leaving those areas. Why are the schools better? TAXES ARE SO MUCH HIGHER IN THOSE AREAS. Then these same people come here and don't want a tax increase. They come here to pay less taxes and still want the benefit of more schools. Am I simplifying this or am I missing something?

The schools and the roads are having trouble keeping up with growth. Our taxes SHOULD be raised and yet the folks that complain most about the schools want the least amount of taxes.

Vicki

Vicki

You are right to a point. Taxes are a lot higher in my area - 2/3rds go to schools but you have to realize salaries (big cost of schools) are a lot higher due to 4x national average home prices. So, it is not really relative that because I pay double tax to the schools- twice as much tax $ goes to school programs. It is to cover teachers salaries and higher costs the school pays to run itself - utilities, buses, land use - which are all 2x to 4x higher than the national average in Westchester County NY - where I currently live.

[VickiR]

From what my relocating clients tell me, there are alot of states that also are paid a "school tax", which helps to build new schools. We do not have that in Wake County.

So, if the answer to building more schools is beginning a "school tax", I wonder how many would actually agree to that?

Part of the lottery proceeds also goes to Wake County Schools and it always SOUNDS like a huge amount is dedicated for new schools but they don't seem to be able to build them as fast as people move to our area.

Vicki

[jfre81]

I guess when it comes to schools, like anything else, you get what you pay for. I guess some people don't mind having their kids shipped across the county for school. But the existence of this thread shows there are people who think there has to be a better way.

Now it seems the concerns of people who can't afford $350K houses get ignored a lot here, and I'm sure a kid from Cary who might get bused to school in Wendell would have a fairly easy time of it being the richest kid in school. But imagine for a minute what it's like for poor kids from southeast Raleigh or Garner who are being bused into Cary. Not only are they going where they know nobody; they're going to school with a bunch of rich kids who likely aren't going to want anything to do with them. Children from McMansion families don't hang out with apartment/slum/trailer park kids. Unless they have school uniforms, it'll be easy to tell who comes from where.

This of course is being done so they can shift kids from one school to the next so when the demographic counts come out WCPSS can come out and say "Look! We're 'diverse' and we have no 'poor' schools!" I guess that's more important than children being in a comfortable learning environment around people they can relate to and perhaps interact with beyond school hours.

I don't see how they are going to fix this without either raising existing taxes or establishing a system with a separate school tax. School tax is primarily what makes the difference between property taxes in NC from those in Texas, to give an example of the difference between NC and other states' tax setup. In NC, schools are ostensibly part of the county property tax you currently pay, on top of a city/town tax where applicable. Some other states may levy a separate school tax while the schools are still run by the city or county; Texas' school districts are actually independent taxing entities with boundaries that do not necessarily adhere to city or county lines. Everyone goes to a "neighborhood school" that is locally governed within a community or group of communities, rather than entire counties (except in some remote rural areas). Of course, at the end, the quality of the public schools is spotty. That has to do as much with reliance on standardized test scores to determine which schools get the most funding, as well as "No Child Left Behind" and other federal meddling as it has to do with anything on the local level. This is pretty much nationwide now.

It's probably wishful thinking, but maybe the NC state government could do away with or significantly reduce the state income tax to help offset an additional school tax if they ever came to pass?

[saturnfan]

If these folks want schools costing what they paid in places like NY & MA, they should not be catered to here.

Our schools are good and efficiently funded. Transplants need to accept our way or stay where things are done their way.

We do not need the kind of school taxes seen in places like LI.

[VickiR]

Skeered ya with that talk of raising taxes, didn't I, SF?!!

Hubby hates it when I say we need to raise taxes!!! Must be a man thing!

Vicki

[RaleighBoundGeek]

Higher taxes do NOT automatically equate to better schools. Especially in states where the local school districts are more or less left to fend for themselves (like in PA) with little or not subsidy and little or no help from the state level. For better or worse - IMO, this area seems to make their "school dollars" go a LOT farther than other locations. Just throwing money at a problem with no real plan on how to actually apply the money just means the extra gets wasted.

Besides - NC actually seems to be effective at ACTUALLY teaching kids. Not like the despicable 45% failure rate in the greater Philly area for basic competency.

Yes - they might get moved around, might end up on a year-round schedule. But - they have a 92% chance to actually pass the basic competency tests (you know - the 3 R's: readin', ritin' and rithmetic)..... That's the public schools. Quite frankly - not too shabby at all.

[UNCMetsGal]

RBG: Which competency tests? The NC EOGs? Where the scores are compared to... other NC students?

I think that's slightly misleading, if indeed those are the tests you're talking about. NC does not perform, say, the Iowa tests, where students are measured against the NATION. Now those are scores I'd like to see.

[RaleighBoundGeek]

Originally Posted by UNCMetsGal

RBG: Which competency tests? The NC EOGs? Where the scores are compared to... other NC students?

I think that's slightly misleading, if indeed those are the tests you're talking about. NC does not perform, say, the Iowa tests, where students are measured against the NATION. Now those are scores I'd like to see.

That might explain some of it. I thought the EOG's were customized, but functionally equivalent to the Ohio tests. Of course - what I was reading was from WCPSS (after looking it over again), so it may not be "objective".

[mommiewrites]

My daughter is in 3rd grade and takes Iowa Tests...