Best School Districts to Work For in Sacto (San Diego, Sacramento: health insurance, daycare)

[CAnative]

I am looking to move from San Diego to Sacramento in the next year. I am a secondary school teacher and I am wondering which school districts are the best to work for and highest paying. Hopefully, someone might be able to let me know which areas in and around Sacramento would be great to live in. I am looking for a change of pace and a great community to settle in. I spent a semester in college in Sacramento but didn't get to really enjoy all it has, so any advise would be great!

Thanks!

[quasi888]

My wife has been sending resumes out since around April of this year, in anticipation of our move to Roseville. She has been a teacher for 10 years in the Bay Area, working with a broad cross section of demographics, from inner city to private schools. We thought it would be cakewalk to get a job up here with her experience, but in reality, it has been a challenge.

First we concentrated on the Roseville/Rocklin area, where we now live, and where the school districts are considered among the best in the greater Sacramento region. Of all that she got called in for one interview in June (with 6 other candidates), and she was passed on. Around the same time, we started concentrating on other areas further from us, like Sacramento, Folsom, and Elk Grove (gasp! probably an hour commute). She did get called in for a first-grade job in a private school in Folsom, last week, and was practically offered the job on a silver platter, but she declined on it when she found out the salary. (It was hourly pay, and at $18/hour, for 7 hours/day and 180 days/year, it was a laughable $22,680/year. They offered "discounted" preschool/daycare for our kids, but it turns out their prices were STILL higher than the "regular" prices we are paying at our current daycare/preschool in Roseville, which we really like.)

Right now most of the school districts in the region have already begun their school year. Her finding a job has never been going to be a doomsday situation for us, we'll just pull the kids out of our daycare (which is our 2nd largest expense) and she'll stay at home with them, and we can make do on my salary. However, there is still hope for her. There are still some schools which have already started with last-minute vacancies (and I assume they are filling those vacancies with subs, temporarily); and there are still some schools who have not yet started. At this point, I think her competition vying for these positions will be fewer.

As aforementioned, Rocklin/Roseville (and by extension, Granite Bay) districts would probably be great districts to work for, but as I have said, everybody wants to work there. We have been seeing a fair amount of openings in Folsom-Cordova, Elk Grove, and Natomas -- however, the schools in those districts can vary widely.

I think the highest salary scale we have seen is in North Sacramento, at $56k for a BA+60 at Step 8. But supposedly that's a fairly rough area of town. Still, if they call back, she'd consider it. Generally, stay away from the private schools, their salaries are quite low, which explains the high turnover in staff, from what we've seen.

One further bit of advice I can give you: if you can teach middle school, there seems to be greater demand for that. We've seen lots of middle school positions, particularly for math and science. If you have a single-subject credential in either of those areas, you are well prepared, and would probably have your pick of positions; if not, consider getting one. My wife only has a multiple-subject credential (she has been teaching mostly 2nd and 3rd grade), so that has been limiting her choices.

Good luck!

[quasi888]

Oh, couple other things I should add: Elk Grove has (and probably will continue to be) been on a hiring spree, although, as aforementioned, primarily for the middle school grades (and again, especially math/science). They are really trying to make it attractive to candidates. Work there for 15 years, and they will cover your health insurance premiums for life.

Also, most of the public school districts are using an online system for accepting applications/resumes: Welcome to EDJOIN!

[justducky2]

good thoughts from quasi888...
I moved to the Sacto area from LAUSD, leaving a teaching job I loved, to adventure in state government as a scientist. I left the state due to a supervisor who was "difficult", after 2 years applying for local teaching jobs. I unfortunately got a job with Sac City Unified working in the Meadowview area, teaching 6th grade. What a nightmare! I quit after 2 months. Kids completely out of control, fist fighting, no support from the principal except to say, maybe you need to teach affluent kids (I worked at a Title 1 school in the barrio in LA, puhleaaase!). I asked to have the fighting kids suspended, she said she wouldn't do it because the "ACLU will get us!" (wait a minute - I wanted both kids suspended! Especially the caucasian one!!). Teachers would pass by me with their heads down and mutter...don't think you're a bad teacher, it's this school, it's that classroom!! The union is non-existent and didn't help me at all. Yikes.

edjoin.com is a great resource for finding jobs. Elk Grove is growing by leaps and bounds due to new residents. I would also think that Roseville and Lincoln would need more teachers. San Juan District in Sacramento County (I think it's in the Fair Oaks, Orangevale area?) has a good reputation. Folsom is a nice town. The foothills along highway 50 (Buckeye District in Shingle Springs, Mother Lode district in Placerville) are wonderful, but I had applied as well as 400 other candidates for a single job (elementary). All of the substitutes up here are credentialed, hoping to get their foot in the door for a teaching job.

I agree that middle school teachers seem to be in demand right now, for math and science. If you're bilingual, that seems to help too.

Good luck! DON'T work in South Sacramento/Meadowview!!!

[car777]

I'm new at this, I'm trying to post a new thread, so if you would bare with me and help me out... I'm thinking of moving to Roseville, can anyone give me any information of what area is best. I'm looking for an area that has a good school and lots of trees, I am looking for a one story home with 4 bedrooms. I have found some good homes and their always seems to be a glich, or something that is missing, like the house will be great but the neighborhood won't, or the house will be horriable but the neirborhood will be great, it's like I just don't find a good balance. I am moving to Roseville with my mother and my two kids, they a both teenage girls and I want to keep them in a good neighborhood and a good home like every mother I want the best for them.
If anyone could help me and give me some information as to what the areas are really like, as to what the social enironment is really like. I would really apreciate that.
Thank you!
Sincerelly Carol