Are CA public schools better than GA public schools? (Lincoln: student loans, how much)

[DGLJKR]

We live in a nice house in the suburbs, North of Atlanta. My husband and I have three young children. We are considering a move to CA, because of the good Schools and Colleges in CA. With all the fund cuts here in GA for schools, i am beginning to worry. We cannot afford a private school. My husband may be able to find a similar tech job in CA, but without any relocation assistance. I am a stay at home mom here in GA, by choice. Any comparison between the GA schools and CA Schools will be very helpful to me. Thanks

[uptown_urbanist]

There's a recent thread on here about CA's school's. It's not helpful (from a practical standpoint) to compare two states as a whole; California has some of the best public schools in the country, but also some very, very bad ones. I think this is the first post I've ever read where someone wants to move to California BECAUSE of the schools (unless you're talking about the college level). California school budgets have been slashed dramatically, and you also generally have to pay a premium to live in an area that has good schools. Still, some of the very best schools are not in the most expensive neighborhoods, but that doesn't translate to affordable. Add in the bad economy and California's higher unemployment rate and I think you're far better off considering another state. Or alternatively, research what schools and areas you like specifically in CA and have your husband apply for jobs in those areas and see what comes up. Also make sure to check out the cost of housing in your target areas to see if you think it's really worth it. I haven't lived in Georgia, but I'm assuming that you're going to have to be willing to either spend a lot more for housing or else settle for far less. (there are some more affordable areas in CA that might be worth investigating -- someone else can suggest those, as my experience has been with LA and SF.)

[Charles]

Originally Posted by DGLJKR

My husband and I have three young children.

We are considering a move

My husband may be able to find

Any comparison between the GA schools and CA Schools

There are plenty of good schools in CA.

Everything depends on where he finds a job and what your housing budget is. Still, no matter where the job is it is likely you can find very good schools - worst case: he may to commute, he may have to work a flexible schedule to beat traffic, and you may have to downsize your housing quality/size.

Do you have any ideas of where (cities/towns) he would likely be working?
What do you think your budget will be?

[DGLJKR]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, College is the main factor. Of the top 15 good public universities, 6 seems to be in CA.

[DGLJKR]

I guess what i am really trying to find out is if CA's school curriculum is better than GA's?

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by DGLJKR

We live in a nice house in the suburbs, North of Atlanta. My husband and I have three young children. We are considering a move to CA, because of the good Schools and Colleges in CA. With all the fund cuts here in GA for schools, i am beginning to worry. We cannot afford a private school. My husband may be able to find a similar tech job in CA, but without any relocation assistance. I am a stay at home mom here in GA, by choice. Any comparison between the GA schools and CA Schools will be very helpful to me. Thanks

I don't understand why you'd uproot your family for good colleges. When the time comes, your children can attend/apply any college they like..even the ones in California.

You must understand that buying a standard size house in California- particularly nearest the tech jobs will be around 900k+ for something in the best school districts (they often coincide with the wealthiest communities).

It is doubtful that if you move here that you will be able to continue being a stay at home mom. One income and three children would require a very large salary unless you're willing to sacrifice the nicer areas nearest to the job centers.

California is also experiencing severe budget cuts particularly to education so it's doubtful that it's any better on that front. The curriculum of most schools around the country is pretty standard. History is history, math is math etc. Overall, most children in public schools learn the same things at the appropriate grade level.

I hate to sound like a naysayer or overly negative, but you must understand how much more costly it would be compared to GA in every aspect.

[DGLJKR]

Hey, Thanks. Since CA has more good college options compare to GA, i was thinking i would be better off paying the in-state tuition there. Of course, trying to prepare for the worst scenario of my kids not getting any kind of scholarships. I do strongly believe they should not take any student loans for their bachelor's degree. I think it is the parent's responsibility.

[UB50]

Originally Posted by DGLJKR

I guess what i am really trying to find out is if CA's school curriculum is better than GA's?

There has been a lot of news about the textbooks used in most of the USA. I guess most schools use the same textbooks that Texas uses. California, being such a big state, has different textbooks. (This may sound silly, but Texas puts more "religion" into their textbooks, discounting things like Evolution, etc.) If you do a Google search, you'll be able to find recent news stories about this.

[Voyageur]

Originally Posted by UB50

There has been a lot of news about the textbooks used in most of the USA. I guess most schools use the same textbooks that Texas uses. California, being such a big state, has different textbooks. (This may sound silly, but Texas puts more "religion" into their textbooks, discounting things like Evolution, etc.) If you do a Google search, you'll be able to find recent news stories about this.

Most of what I've read about the Texas curriculum mandates changes in the teaching of history, such as downplaying the influence of those like Thomas Jefferson in favor of those who were clearly traditional Christians, making sure to give prominent Confederate leaders as much commentary as Abraham Lincoln, downplaying the demagoguery of Joseph McCarthy - things like that.

But I'm sure scary things like science also get the short shrift compared to states with less science-phobic populaces.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by DGLJKR

Hey, Thanks. Since CA has more good college options compare to GA, i was thinking i would be better off paying the in-state tuition there. Of course, trying to prepare for the worst scenario of my kids not getting any kind of scholarships. I do strongly believe they should not take any student loans for their bachelor's degree. I think it is the parent's responsibility.

I think that's a very valid reason to look to move. Out of state tuition is double (or more) in state tuition. I'm not sure the ages of your kids, but you'll need to be in CA at least 2 years I think to gain residency.

Also, be aware that they may want to go back to the east coast for college! I grew up in So Cal, had all those great schools at my fingertips, and chose to go east. There's no accounting for taste. (In my case, my parents gave me the equivalent of 4 years in-state tuition at a CA school, to apply to the school of my choice, public or private. Then they didn't have to foot the ridiculously expensive out of state bill! It meant I graduated early to save on costs)

If you can give any indication of where you're looking to move, people can provide specifics. There are good and bad schools everywhere, and California is no exception.