Commuting over the bridge and best schools for special needs kids (Vancouver: sales, homes)

[Lollielean]

I have two questions- How bad is commuting over the bridges really. We are moving there from Alaska but previously lived in the Washington DC area. My husband will be working at the airport, but as housing appears to be cheaper and the schools better we are looking at the Vancouver area.
Question two- which schools are the best at working with special needs kids. Not all schools are created equal and I really want a school that will be accepting and working to help my son to meet his best potential.

[Disgustedman]

Well, I can attest that when a wreck occurs on the 205, it affects neighborhoods like mad. Any road within a mile of the 205 is crammed with cars if that happens.

3 times (In 1.5 years thankfully) I have seen backups that were pretty fierce. Truck driver wrecked (Wrong way yes he was stoned) then a multi car both of these were early morning.

As far as special needs schools, I think Vancouver has some good ones. However, you'd have to ask around.

Good luck!

[USDefault]

How bad is commuting over the bridges really.

Kinda bad, esp. during rush hour. If the significant other is working at PDX, you really should consider living on the Portland side. It may potentially free up many, many hours per week that would otherwise be spend commuting. What's more, you can find some pretty nice Portland homes, not far from the airport. Frankly, any savings you achieve in Vancouver will be burned up with increased gas and stress.

And another thing: if he's working in PDX, you'll be paying Portland income tax, period. Since you're paying it, may as well stay on the Portland side to take advantage of no sales tax.

[notnamed]

I live in Battle Ground, work in Vancouver, and do our big shopping in Portland. Came here from Ohio where a traffic jam meant you were going the speed limit and that was a hassle(unless there was truly bad wreck that closed down lanes). Had to go into downtown Portland for 3 days straight for a conference. There is no way I would put up with that crawl as a daily commute. As soon as you hit the WA side it clears up but that trudge through traffic on the OR side is bad. And you'll get folks cheating in the HOV lane who will suddenly bully their way into your lane if they spot a cop.

What most surprised me was getting caught in a mess like that on the 205 on a Friday at 2:30pm after an IKEA run. Rush hour starts early apparently. Our native friends advised us to be sure to be across the bridge by 2 and they were not joking.

[Ms_Christina]

As someone from the East Coast and dealt with the capital beltway. The commute is NOTHING compared to DC. And I commuted from Spotsylvania to DC. Now we commute from Salmon Creek which is north of the city of Vancouver to the airport business parks and it is on average 20 minutes.

Yes there will be accidents and delays once in awhile but they are few and far between. And the I-5 bridge is a drawbridge. But the delay is only half of what the Wilson bridge is.

Even with paying Oregon taxes and living in WA our cost of living is still way less than the DC area and the Philly/South Jersey area.

Join one of the many Vancouver moms or dads groups on Facebook for the skinny on schools. They can give you the info on the programs available.

[hml1976]

Originally Posted by Lollielean

I have two questions- How bad is commuting over the bridges really. We are moving there from Alaska but previously lived in the Washington DC area. My husband will be working at the airport, but as housing appears to be cheaper and the schools better we are looking at the Vancouver area.
Question two- which schools are the best at working with special needs kids. Not all schools are created equal and I really want a school that will be accepting and working to help my son to meet his best potential.

I would personally put up with the commute for the schools. While there are some excellent private schools in Portland for children with special needs, I haven't heard anything good about the public schools.

On this side of the river, I know Camas has excellent programs for special needs. I know Hockinson doesn't. I would imagine that Vancouver does but I don't have any first hand knowledge.

All the best.

[Jane917]

I think both the special education departments of Camas and Hockinson, along with many others in the area, are administered by ESD 112 in Vancouver. By combining the smaller districts together, ESD 112 is able offer resources that would not be available to smaller districts. You could contact ESD 112 to see what services are offered in the districts you are looking at. esd112.org

I used to work for ESD 112 and found is an enriching, knowledgeable environment to work for.

[hml1976]

Originally Posted by Jane917

I think both the special education departments of Camas and Hockinson, along with many others in the area, are administered by ESD 112 in Vancouver. By combining the smaller districts together, ESD 112 is able offer resources that would not be available to smaller districts. You could contact ESD 112 to see what services are offered in the districts you are looking at. esd112.org

I used to work for ESD 112 and found is an enriching, knowledgeable environment to work for.

The districts offer different services. I know two families who sold their homes and moved to Camas because Hockinson offered so little for their kids. Pull out to a portable in Hockinson vs in-classroom aides in Camas. One of my best friends had the Hockinson special services coordinator tell her to move to Camas, that the district just doesn't have the money. Interestingly enough the former principal of one of Hockinson's schools moved to Camas because she has a child with special needs...I'd think that says something!

[JYT]

Originally Posted by Lollielean

I have two questions- How bad is commuting over the bridges really.

It is terrible, before the recession it was worse, and now it is becoming a problem once again. You can't go over the I-5 bridge without coming to a stop unless you make it to the beginning of the bridge from the Vancouver side by 6:00 am and no later than 6:15 am, and even by then, the rush hour turns into rush-two hours: from 6:15-8:15 am, and sometimes beyond. Getting back from Portland, to Vancouver, traffic can begin as early as noon. From noon to 6:15pm traffic can be stop and go, all the way. It took me 2 hours plus, to travel from 4th street downtown, Portland Oregon, to reach Battle Ground, WA.

[texasdiver]

On average schools in Oregon have less resources than schools in Washington due to the endless school funding crises in Oregon. But not every place is average. The affluent suburbs in Portland all have excellent school systems and will have top quality special needs programs just like the affluent suburbs in Clark County like Camas and the more affluent areas of Vancouver. So obviously places like Lake Oswego, West Lynn, Wilsonville, Happy Valley etc. will have good schools. And within Portland itself there are pockets with excellent schools and pockets with struggling schools that mostly track with the neighborhood demographics. West Hills will have higher rated schools than those out near Gresham.

I would certainly not do something like commute from Camas to Hillsboro just because of some perception about the schools in Camas. If you have a special needs child I would think it would be especially valuable to live nearby so that you can spend more time with your child and not spend all your daylight hours stuck on an endless freeway commute.