[vamos]

We have been looking at houses in the Deland area and have found quite a few that appeal to us. Many of these, however, are serviced by Starke Elementary School which, unfortunately, seems to perform quite dismally.

There are quite a few expensive (well, relatively speaking) homes in the area but it seems as though one would want to sent one's children to a better school than what is available, especially if one owns a house that is priced well above the median price for the area.

Other elementary schools in the area do okay but the one serving Deland itself does not.

What do people do? Sent their kids to Montessori?

Any insights?

[BioAdoptMom3]

I am a teacher in Volusia County and DH works for the school district, out of an office in Deland. He tells me that Starke, while it has a few middle class areas feeding into it, mostly serves the lower income areas immediately surrounding it. This is done in an effort to balance the schools, but most schools, for the most part, still are heavily populated with either middle/upper middle class families or the working poor. So, you are dealing with a Title I school which has a very high percentage of children on free and reduced meals. Your only option might be a variance. They are difficullt to obtain, but if you teach or work in another school you could take your child there with you. If you work in an area not located near your neigborhood or the school, and your hours make it difficult to get your child there or pick him/her up on time, you can probably also get one for that reason. That or private school is probably your only option if you are set on homes in the area in which you are currently looking.

You might also consider that if you are active in your child's education, and it sounds like you are the type of parent who is, your child will probably do well anyway. Children who have average to above average IQs and who are from secure, loving homes where education is valued seldom have low test scores and almost always do well in the classroom no matter where they attend school.

Nancy

[vamos]

Hi Nancy, thank you for your thoughtful response. We figured that the attendance zones were drawn to achieve somewhat of a socio-economic mix. I understand that the school district is currently voting on a re-zoning plan. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a map that shows the new attendance zones for DeLand - any ideas where to look?

To the best of my knowledge, the re-zoning was done because a new elementary school (Hazen, I believe) was to open this year (but has apparently been delayed because a few sub-contractors went belly up). In turn, it seems that Starke elementary was scheduled to be closed - which has now also been delayed. Do you have any information regarding this?

I doubt that variance would be an option for us - there simply is no good reason why we would need to send our child to any other school. I find it a bit sad - I am all for revitalizing a given area and breathing fresh air into it. I am not so willing to sacrifice my daughter's education for it, though.

Certainly, parent contribution is a determining factor in any education, but I do believe that available resources and a conducive environment at school have a substantial impact.

I also don't want to overexpose my child to many of the problems that are often associated with a low socio-economic strata. Don't get me wrong - I feel the same way about the entitlement, condescension, and competitiveness that all to often come with very high socio-economic class. Like any parent, I simply want what I think is best for my child...

I notice that most private schools in the area have religious affiliations - which is not what I am looking for. Are you aware of any others beside Montessori?

Again, thank you. We are free to live anywhere in the US, the EU, and quite a few places in Latin America and are really just "shopping" for a place to raise our daughter that simultaneously allows us to live within a value system that we believe in.