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TM... what's stopping you from making the move? Judging from this thread and others where you contribute your are obviously VERY unhappy here on Long Island - I am not trying to show you the door, just wondering what is keeping you in this "living hell."
What's keeping me in hell is that the price of living here and my home/taxes has wiped out my savings AND prevented me from being able to save. No matter where I move to it will be just me , my husband and my child with no support system. In addition, my husband would have to rebuild his business with contacts /etc. wherever we move too. Currently, in teh field I've been in , I would also have to rebuild clients. etc. This could take atleast 6 months to a year to get the money flowing.. and we don't have a savings to live off of in the meantime. With a small child, we can not just take off with that kind of risk..if it were just us we'd be fine.
Also, we own our home that unfortunately we purchased at the height of the market. We sell now, we'd loose the money we have into it, which is significant since we thought we were doing something that down the line would give us a nice chunk of money when we do move off the island, while providing us with a home (rather than moving frmo rental to rental with a baby) in the meantime.. like 3-5 years down the line.
Yes.. i am EXTREMELY unhappy with LI and it's political nonsense that has made the cost of living here so insane that someone like myself who has lived here all her life must now leave in order to have any resemblence of quality of life.. to which right now i have none. I also have NO piece of mind and worry constantly about money etc. I had been SO resistant to the change and move for so long because LI used to be a wonderful place to live.. but is no more. My life long friends, all who still live here, are also struggling with the same issues.. husbands working 2 or 3 jobs.. wife working part time while still being with the kids (and fortunately she has a brother/mother and friends to sit and has a flexible part time job to work around the schedule) so that her and her two kids can live in a small (and i mean REALLY small.. the bedrooms are tiny) 2 bedroom 1 bath house. She won't leave because her mother and father are nearby and it would break her heart to leave them and take her kids away from their grandparents.
The special districts, the broken districts one on top of each other are ALL draining more and more taxes and pushing more and more people OFF the island.. including big business and companies. My brothers, both VERY highly educated people in good fields (my brother has a doctorate in genetics, another and engineer) have moved OFF of LI.. sick of the lack of rentals available for them and KNOWING that it would be so difficult for them to someday raise a family here. My mom saw the light when my father died and up and left the island within 6 months to be closer to her immediate family (out in MT , which is too desolate for me).
Yes. consolidation will be difficult at first, yes, initially it may not save much.. but in the long run, the run up in taxes will be less and less over time.. in otherwords it won't increase as much as it is each year. There will be 1 budget and one stronger negotiating team to negotiate with the union.. rather than the snowbal effect of "well that district now pays this so we want this or we'll walk" nonsense. Someone else made some very good points about special schools with concentrations in a field that could be available to all students across the board rather than having to cross "district" lines.
I dont' consider someone with money morally bankrupt.. but quite honestly I laugh when they buy into the "sheep" mentality of "I'm paying more for it so it must be better". or "if I don't pay all this money for something I'm harming my child". Im a mother too, and I don't feel that consolidatino will take ANYTHING away from my child's education. They don't understand that they are paying higher taxes becasue their houses are worth more and their properties are bigger..etc. NOt neccesarily because their school district is so much better. Ask those in Roosevelt if their taxes are "low" ..they are not.. property taxes are high no matter WHERE you live and regardless of the performance of your schools.
I am also sick of the "fear" that most LI'rs have to making positive change. Quite frankly it's that "sheeple" way of thinking.
It's sad that while a vast majority of LIrs are making over $100K combined, a vast majority are struggling just to get by.
They also feel that LI is "so great" and is the ONLY place for their child to get a quality education.. that's so untrue. There are so many SD across the country on a countywide system that have excellent education and programs for their kids. I know of Calvert County MD that has a great school district.THere are poorer towns that may not perform as well, but the more desireable neighborhoods are more desireable because their neighborhoods schools within that district perform well... etc.
This is all from someone who has reached the end of her rope with LI nonsense.. and this board has atleast given me a place to vent that frustration without actually running out in the middle of the street and screaming about it!
My sister is in FL where her school district is one of the county districts, similar to what is being touted here. There are uber wealthy areas and poor communities. People considering a move to this area post on the City Data Forum inquiring as to what areas to 'avoid'. While it is no assurance that their child won't be shuffled to balance school populations (in the event that there is a significant increase in children in one area over another) it gives them some sense of security that their children won't end up being bused cross county to an underperforming school in a violent area on the city's edge. Chances are the less affluent children who aren't coastal will end up getting shuffled before the ones who are a little more inland and closer to the less desirable areas.
People who have relocated there from the north east will tell you that there is a significant difference in the quality of education the children receive there -- it doesn't hold a candle to this region.
My children's opportunities as well as what they are able to do far outshines what my sister's kids have or do. It costs me $3000 more a year, or $1500 a child. Private school in FL costs more than that. If my sibling wanted to bring her children up to the same level as mine, she would effectively be paying more in tuition and school taxes than I pay collectively on property and school taxes.
It would defeat the reason she moved: to save money.
She is saving money, but at what cost?
Last edited by OhBeeHave; 01-30-2008 at 03:29 PM..
Reason: Spelling
My sister is in FL where her school district is one of the county districts, similar to what is being touted here. There are uber wealthy areas and poor communities. People considering a move to this area post on the City Data Forum inquiring as to what areas to 'avoid'. While it is no assurance that their child won't be shuffled to balance school populations (in the event that there is a significant increase in children in one area over another) it gives them some sense of security that their children won't end up being bused cross county to an underperforming school in a violent area on the city's edge. Chances are the less affluent children who aren't coastal will end up getting shuffled before the ones who are a little more inland and closer to the less desirable areas.
People who have relocated there from the north east will tell you that there is a significant difference in the quality of education the children receive there -- it doesn't hold a candle to this region.
My children's opportunities as well as what they are able to do far outshines what my sister's kids have or do. It costs me $3000 more a year, or $1500 a child. Private school in FL costs more than that. If my sibling wanted to bring her children up to the same level as mine, she would effectively be paying more in tuition and school taxes than I pay collectively on property and school taxes.
It would defeat the reason she moved: to save money.
She is saving money, but at what cost?
What, exactly, is making her childs education inferior? Does the state not have a curriculum that must be taught and state and / or regents exams that must be passed? Are her children getting good grades in that school and participating in whatever activities that they have.
If they are getting good grades in the school and performing well and the school is meeting the curriculum set forth by either the state or district, then when it comes to college time they will get into a good school. So how did the school fail them.
Perhaps it's the curriculum. Perhaps the state needs to specify more or areas that need to be taught that maybe aren't within that counties curriculum?
Please be more specific so as to illlustrate exactly where what is being taught is inferior?
Status:
" Charleston South Carolina"
(set 7 days ago)
Location: home...finally, home .
8,815 posts, read 21,280,851 times
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Well, I know that I have had kids in my Resource Room ( for learning disabled stiudents) who moved to Florida and were all of a sudden on the honor role.
Well, I know that I have had kids in my Resource Room ( for learning disabled stiudents) who moved to Florida and were all of a sudden on the honor role.
Then it's probably a problem with the curriculum and expectations.. that needs to be examiend.. and teachers need to re-evaluate what they are teaching and why? I don't think that has anythign to do with wether it's a county wide system or not.. but parents have to say. hey what the heck is my kid learning here! If htey know nothing else, however, they don't know the difference.
What, exactly, is making her childs education inferior? Does the state not have a curriculum that must be taught and state and / or regents exams that must be passed? Are her children getting good grades in that school and participating in whatever activities that they have.
If they are getting good grades in the school and performing well and the school is meeting the curriculum set forth by either the state or district, then when it comes to college time they will get into a good school. So how did the school fail them.
Perhaps it's the curriculum. Perhaps the state needs to specify more or areas that need to be taught that maybe aren't within that counties curriculum?
Please be more specific so as to illlustrate exactly where what is being taught is inferior?
While we can't compare Florida oranges with NY apples, I can tell you that we each have one child at the same grade level. My daughter is learning multiplication, very simple algebra, has been introduced to the recorder, is required to write journal entries (min 3-4 paragraphs, 5 sentences/paragraph, min 8 words to a sentence) throughout the week & one on weekends, write in script, have science with a dedicated science teacher and computer labs. Sister's child at same level is just starting multiplication, no algebra, no recorder, no journals, no handwriting, and science only in the classroom.
I will mention that my oldest wasn't introduced to algebra until 5th grade, so apparently the NY district is sees that the children can handle more than we believed at an earlier age. My daughter's class has started simple labs -- noting what they believe will happen, recording their observations. The FL district isn't as progressive, but to their credit they do have a fair amount of technology in place.
The county district has:
17 Elementary Schools (K-5)
7 Middle Schools (6-8)
5 High Schools (9-12)
1 Alternative Center (6-12)
3 Charter Schools (including a Vocational-Technical Center)
3 Juvenile Justice Facilities
Students:
[LEFT][SIZE=+0]Elementary[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Middle School[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]High School[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Pre K-12 - Total [/SIZE][SIZE=+0]12,057[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]6,286[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0] 8,110[/SIZE] [SIZE=+0]27,514[/SIZE][/LEFT]
[SIZE=+0][/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]White - 83%[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Black - 8%[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Hispanic - 4%[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Asian, Indian and Other - 5%[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Student body represents 117 different countries speaking 59 different languages[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Teacher's Salary:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Average teacher's annual salary is $45,693 ($63,056 with benefits) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0](If that were our average teachers salary with benefits, we would all be paying less on LI.)
FL has FCATs which appear to be the same as the NYS ELAs.
Her district scores well on the FCATs compared to other FL districts, has decent standardized test scores overall.
My sister spent extra money on a home down there to assure herself a home in a 'wealthier' area and securing her children a spot in one of the better elementary schools. But with the building going on, there's going to be jockeying of children about. Her children may very well end up bused away from the best (AP courses, % going on to college, SAT scores) HS in the county to either the new one (an unproven, unrated establishment) or one of the rougher ones in terms of drugs, fights and gangs.
Proponents of a single countywide district just haven't thought the notion through logically.
Let's pretend that a single county school district idea was approved. Doesn't matter which county. Let's pretend there was a public vote and it somehow passed and that the new Countywide District is to become effective on January 1st 2010.
There are what, 50 or 60 school individual school districts in each county? Each with its own signed contract with the teachers union, and each contract with a different expiration year. Some before 1/1/10, some after. What happens to those contracts? Do they get wiped out on 1/1/10 like they never existed?
If the teachers remain union, they'll never agree to a new contract unless they are going to get at least as good or BETTER a contract (higher wages, better benefits) than they were already getting. How would that bring school taxes down for the big new district? It wouldn't!
The county couldn't force the teachers to become non-union county employees because that would be union-busting which is illegal. And if they became unionized county employees, see the paragraph above. The same thing would happen. They wouldn't ratify a contract that wasn't at least as good as the one they had before the consolidation.
In either case the union would be in court so fast, and tie the whole thing up there for so long, that it would take years and years to even start to unravel the mess. In the meanwhile nothing would be done.
Even with a countywide School Czar, each town would still need a local bureaucracy to address the unique issues and needs of each area. Who would get fired locally? You can bet it won't be the $100,000/yr Superintendent who has a sweet employment contract. It would be a few of the lesser paid peons who would be agreeable to a buyout. And there'd need to be a whole new countywide bureaucracy to oversee things.
Some more realistic ways to bring down costs in the current system would be:
1. Have a countywide salary cap for administrative positions, and strict guidelines as to what their perks can and can't include.
2. Require teachers to contribute the same amount to their health insurance premiums as the Long Island average for employees of comparably large corporations (teachers now get way too much coverage for way too little money)
3. Eliminate tenure!! Raises and retention should be based on yearly performance reviews, just like the majority of the rest of the working population.
4. The school district should no longer foot the entire bill for afterschool programs and sports. Parents of children in these programs should pay some part of the costs.
Of course those fixes won't happen either, because the administrators would never agree to #1, the teachers unions would never agree to #2 or #3, and most parents would never agree to #4.
What's keeping me in hell is that the price of living here and my home/taxes has wiped out my savings AND prevented me from being able to save. No matter where I move to it will be just me , my husband and my child with no support system.
This could take atleast 6 months to a year to get the money flowing.. and we don't have a savings to live off of in the meantime. With a small child, we can not just take off with that kind of risk..if it were just us we'd be fine.
Also, we own our home that unfortunately we purchased at the height of the market. We sell now, we'd loose the money we have into it
I also have NO piece of mind and worry constantly about money etc.
My life long friends, all who still live here, are also struggling with the same issues.. husbands working 2 or 3 jobs.. She won't leave because her mother and father are nearby and it would break her heart to leave them and take her kids away from their grandparents.
Your post illustrates the conflict between what many people CAN do to change their situation versus what they're WILLING to do.
As long as you stay on Long Island your personal financial situation isn't likely to change due to external sources. In other words unless the resale value of your house goes up or your property taxes go down. Both of those are forces beyond your control.
So what to do? Well you COULD sell your home at a loss, take the money, and move to someplace else in the USA where you could buy a house for that amount (no mortgage). That would solve many of your immediate financial problems wouldn't it? It would be just the 3 of you "with no support system" by which I guess you mean no family around you? If that factor is important enough to keep you here, then you've made a decision that puts financial considerations in second place to emotional ones. Just like your friend has done.
Sometimes there's no "good" solution to a tough situation and hard decisions have to be made. Sitting in place spinning your wheels and waiting for some outside influence to ride to your rescue usually doesn't work out very well. I don't know your situation but it sounds like you're saying "We're stuck in limbo but we're too afraid to give up certain things or to take any serious risks in order to get ourselves out of this." That makes no sense to me. If someone hates their life but refuses to do what's needed to change it, whose fault is that?
But then I don't understand how all those people who took out subprime ARM mortgages have any right to complain about what's happening to them now either. Nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to sign on the dotted line. It's like someone who goes to Las Vegas and loses all his money on the tables and slot machines, then complains about being broke. Whatever happened to personal financial responsibility?
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