Special Ed teacher from CA looking to relocate .. educators in Texas? Any info?? (Austin: to rent, quality of life)

[Locali]

Originally Posted by RSTX

We do NOT teach religion in school. Only private schools are allowed to do so. Public schools must follow state curriculum.

We do not all carry guns. There are a few (maybe 10-15?) school districts that allow trained teachers to conceal carry, but they tend to be rural.

And, fwiw, there are teachers in my school that have moved to Texas from California, Wisconsin, Oregon, etc. Teachers from Texas move to other states for various reasons (spouse job change, etc) as well. Not all Texans are god-fearin', gun-totin', ultra-conservative,.....whatever. We have people just like every other state.

Thanks for setting that straight. I must have read those comments about religion/guns incorrectly or the posters were just being facetious and I took it literally.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by blakely

Locali, take what you read her with a grain of salt! Understandably a lot of people here are tired of growth, so there are a lot of anti-transplant posts, but IRL I find Austinites to be much more welcoming than they might seem on an anonymous forum.

My neighbor's daughter is a high school teacher, 4 years out of college, and recently purchased a older 2 BR condo off of south Lamar. Very central, great part of town. It's a modest place but conveniently located, very safe, and surrounded with shady oaks. She scrimped the first few years to be able to do this. But it CAN be done!

As for California bashing...this forum magnifies it, but I never see it in real life here. Most of the people I know in Austin were not born here but moved as adults. This is a city full of transplants and I've found people to be most welcoming. Don't let the discussion here scare you away. Come and spend some time here, meet people and decide for yourself. Austin isn't for everyone, but the only way to know for sure is to check it out.

I see it in real life here all the time, but since Texans are polite, it's never done directly to the person's face. Of course I'm multi-generational native Texan as are many of our friends, so our perspectives on the devastating changes this unchecked growth have created are quite different from one who came here recently.

[bpvarian]

except the inland empire isn't in any of those areas. "Inland Empire" is strictly in So Cal. Hey, but you tried.

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Yes, the OP could keep their current teaching license and just more to Fresno, Sacramento, Salinas, anywhere in the Inland Empire.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by bpvarian

except the inland empire isn't in any of those areas. "Inland Empire" is strictly in So Cal. Hey, but you tried.

Yes, I know where the Inland Empire is! I separated each one by a comma, they are separate places, some widely separated from each other but all are affordable.

[Locali]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Yes, I know where the Inland Empire is! I separated each one by a comma, they are separate places, some widely separated from each other but all are affordable.

And as per your suggestions within California. As a native Californian, I’m extremely well aware of all the many different cities and counties in my state (and the pros/cons of living in different areas of California). My question wasn’t “which CA city is more affordable?” It’s what’s Austin like for teachers? I’ve always been interested in Texas and my question relates to Texas and Austin specifically.

[Locali]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

I see it in real life here all the time, but since Texans are polite, it's never done directly to the person's face. Of course I'm multi-generational native Texan as are many of our friends, so our perspectives on the devastating changes this unchecked growth have created are quite different from one who came here recently.

Is that considered polite to talk behind someone’s back?

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by Locali

And as per your suggestions within California. As a native Californian, I’m extremely well aware of all the many different cities and counties in my state (and the pros/cons of living in different areas of California). My question wasn’t “which CA city is more affordable?” It’s what’s Austin like for teachers? I’ve always been interested in Texas and my question relates to Texas and Austin specifically.

Well, I am a teacher in Austin. Austin is the most expensive city in the state and Central Texas doesn't have the state's highest teaching salaries. Teachers aren't rolling in dough. You can go on line and see the salary guidelines for every district (districts here are usually ISD -- independent school districts and they don't follow city boundaries precisely, Austin ISD, Round Rock ISD, Eanes ISD (Westlake), Pflugerville ISD, Del Valle ISD, Hay County Consolidated). spend some time on the respectively web sites and you should get some idea.



As to what it is like? Very hard to generalize, much depends on the leadership of the individual school.

[Locali]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Well, I am a teacher in Austin. Austin is the most expensive city in the state and Central Texas doesn't have the state's highest teaching salaries. Teachers aren't rolling in dough. You can go on line and see the salary guidelines for every district (districts here are usually ISD -- independent school districts and they don't follow city boundaries precisely, Austin ISD, Round Rock ISD, Eanes ISD (Westlake), Pflugerville ISD, Del Valle ISD, Hay County Consolidated). spend some time on the respectively web sites and you should get some idea.



As to what it is like? Very hard to generalize, much depends on the leadership of the individual school.

Thank you! Gives me some places to zero in should I decide to look into Austin further. So far Austin ISD seemed to have the highest schedule but I didn’t know about the other districts you mentioned. I really appreciate the suggestions.

Yes, admin is very important! What a shame that when communities can’t or won’t pay educators enough to live with some comfort in the city they teach. I hope Austin doesn’t begin to experience difficulty hiring and retaining quality teachers because of that. The community loses out big time in that case.

[eastriver]

Originally Posted by Locali

Thank you! Gives me some places to zero in should I decide to look into Austin further. So far Austin ISD seemed to have the highest schedule but I didn’t know about the other districts you mentioned. I really appreciate the suggestions.

Yes, admin is very important! What a shame that when communities can’t or won’t pay educators enough to live with some comfort in the city they teach. I hope Austin doesn’t begin to experience difficulty hiring and retaining quality teachers because of that. The community loses out big time in that case.

Texas has teachers, not educators.

[Locali]

Originally Posted by eastriver

Texas has teachers, not educators.

Teachers work in the field of education. Do you know what linked in is? If you are able to create a linked in account and do a search, Most teachers will describe themselves as “passionate educators” .. we are in the education industry. If you were to look up a list of synonyms (those are different words that have the same meaning) you will find that teachers and educators are synonyms.