Likely relocating to Savannah w/Autistic teen (Richmond Hill, Buckhead: car rental, HOA)

[Mastiffsmama]

And my husband's search history+:

He left his family, friends, country and then some to move to the US (which he did NOT want to do) for me. I argued that because my parents were alive and his were not (more subtlety) I won. He left a brother that still lived in the same province and city who had just become a first-time father. We went through hoops and finances and Immigration and paperwork and health exams (I kid you not)...He sacrificed all for me. Subsequently my father died unexpectedly 5 months after our wedding, but I digress...

He hates his job. He has been searching within his company to maintain his seniority and awesome benefits they offer; and they ARE great, but his pay isn't. He's depressed and embarrassed. Every time he's applied I've given him relatively negative feedback. Too hot. Too far for my mom to fly. Not in the same time zone. We can't fly the dogs, what if T's drugs wear off? With my own disabilities I can't drive that far... all of which are true, but I can't continue to watch his soul being sucked out. And a new system is being implemented soon that will further cut his pay and effectively demote him. All while my mother pays our mortgage.

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Mastiffsmama

Believe me, I don't want to move in any way, shape or form. No disrespect to the fine people of the state of Georgia. Thinking of uprooting our guy for ANY reason makes me want to vomit, minimally. Moving him to a 100% foreign world for the entirety of high school? Nauseated just TYPING that.

And yes. We have amazing schools, community, support...there's no way to equate that to income. Here's the dirt: my 75 year old mother is still working to help support us and pays our mortgage. My husband is on call 24/7 and with changes being implemented in the next year will have his pay reduced further a LARGE percentage.In addition, he's become really depressed with his current job/location/vibe of his workplace. He's also mortified that he's a grown man who can't totally support his family. My mother said if the move allows us financial freedom we should take it. She even said she'd be thrilled to see us take a vacation, which we haven't done since 2001. The only times I/we have traveled were as guests of my mother.

Please know I don't take this lightly and am HORRIFIED at the schools ratings. How in the heck does that HAPPEN?! My thoughts are with those of you with students in public schools. Looks like if you're not into the arts or vo-tech Savannah and high school don't mix.

Of course your family does have valid reasons to think about the move. Really, children are adaptable critters. I suggest you talk to the folks in the Pooler schools, and see if you can get some reassurance on how your son would fit in. He will probably excell, since he's had a good foundation. I've been in many of the schools and the staffs seem very caring. There is very little crime here and it's an easy commute to Port Wentworth.

[Mastiffsmama]

I'm disabled as well (physically, so I don't get out much). No need for nightlife. A great day for me is reading my Kindle hanging out with my dogs. If there's a reasonable sushi place to feed my beloved teenage mutant sloth that's a bonus.

[Mastiffsmama]

" I suggest you talk to the folks in the Pooler schools"

Pooler vs. Richmond Hill. What's your take, please?

And transition to junior high last year was a mess. Jr. high sucks enough, then the school had a new assistant principal and Eli's spec. ed teacher was about to go on maternity leave. There was one teacher who made me go mama bear on a conference/speakerphone call about her. I dropped F bombs; not going to lie. Now the AP and I are 1st name basis and we just had a meeting about a possible accommodation so that Eli can go on the 8th grade's trip to DC in May. He does NOT sleep over unless one of us, preferably Luc, is with him and school does NOT typically take parents. There's also the fact that Eli, like I, is an insanely early bloomer and has dermatological prescriptions. His motor skill deficits require hands on help applying special shampoos and creams, etc. I can cop and paste the 2 page explanation that I presented at the beginning of the meeting. Not 1/2 bad if I say so myself. And my mother attended. She's a professor at a college of education and had served as Interim Dean a few years ago. We know our stuff.

[bellhead]

So be aware, unless your husband has a skill set which is in demand the job market here is service based and it is hard to find jobs paying $20 plus an hour with benefits.

Cincinnati has a pretty good economy & there are good support systems/colleges there for improving your earning potential, mainly Cincinnati State's coop program. The Lakota school system is going to be much better than anything they have down here for your son.

The only benefits to living here are the weather, beach, and a vibrant downtown.

The drawbacks are a very bad school system, the system itself suffers from a majority of their kids come from poverty and their parents never finished school.

[Mastiffsmama]

Understood. The company which is flying Luc down Friday for a meet and greet is the company for whom he has worked for the past 10 years. It would be in his company's distribution center rather than retail store which deals with patrons daily. Instead of having 4 guys under him and having to fill in and work the same tasks as they he would be managing an enormous facility with a team of dozens underneath him. We have agreed that the pay has to be at a specific level to consider accepting the promotion as the non-monetary facets of our current lives are invaluable.

Then there's the fact that, locally, the store in which he has worked for 10 years is undergoing a massive restructuring and he will be facing a certain pay cut in 2018 and loss of managerial job title. Also in his current store he feels undermined, and undervalued. He has tried applying within his own store to dozens of postings with no results. He has applied to everything within a 200 mile radius within the company--also bubkes.

Here's some irony in a losing attempt at levity; I don't care for water. Our son might. The 1st time he touched the Atlantic was a Grandma-driven trip to Charleston when Eli was about 4-5. My late father's great aunt and 1st cousins were throwing a July 4th party at one of their beach houses. Eli sequestered himself inside a bedroom during the party and refused to come out to eat (too overstimulating) but absolutely LIT UP on the beach and in a tide pool. He was so enchanted I had to ask my brother-in-law to go retrieve him. I have a wonderful photo of him wearing an orange coverup I had bought in Hawaii when I was pregnant with Eli (this mom forgot to bring a change of clothes for her only child),dead asleep in the back of my mother's Honda Accord holding a brownie. Still impressed he never let go of that brownie, even out cold. Chocolate is one of his favorite food groups.

I cannot tell y'all how grateful I am for your feedback and input. It takes a village and you can never start soon enough!

[gentlearts]

Originally Posted by Mastiffsmama

" I suggest you talk to the folks in the Pooler schools"

Pooler vs. Richmond Hill. What's your take, please?

And transition to junior high last year was a mess. Jr. high sucks enough, then the school had a new assistant principal and Eli's spec. ed teacher was about to go on maternity leave. There was one teacher who made me go mama bear on a conference/speakerphone call about her. I dropped F bombs; not going to lie. Now the AP and I are 1st name basis and we just had a meeting about a possible accommodation so that Eli can go on the 8th grade's trip to DC in May. He does NOT sleep over unless one of us, preferably Luc, is with him and school does NOT typically take parents. There's also the fact that Eli, like I, is an insanely early bloomer and has dermatological prescriptions. His motor skill deficits require hands on help applying special shampoos and creams, etc. I can cop and paste the 2 page explanation that I presented at the beginning of the meeting. Not 1/2 bad if I say so myself. And my mother attended. She's a professor at a college of education and had served as Interim Dean a few years ago. We know our stuff.

Well, Richmond Hill is Bryan County schools, not Chatham. There is only one high school. I do not know, but my gut says that small=more control, and more responsiveness to the residents and parents. In Chatham, your're just a number.

By the way, Richmond Hill is lovely, but it would be a longer commute.

[masonbauknight]

Richmond Hill does get nice reviews from newcomers, and Richmond Hill High School has a good reputation. I agree with Gentle, though, that your husband might find the commute from RH too long for a job in Port Wentworth, Garden City, or Savannah proper. Thus, you have to consider Pooler and Bloomingdale in western Chatham County. New Hampstead High is actually very decent for a non-specialized public high school in Savannah-Chatham. Just make sure your house/apartment is within the New Hampstead High attendance zone rather than Groves High (which you should avoid).

[Mastiffsmama]

No public high school listed for Pooler. Bloomingdale showed New Hampstead High School with 1 out of 5 star rating. Any public transit? None here, really. If you don't own a car in the Greater Cincinnati area and don't have endless funds for Uber, you're a homebody, especially in suburbia.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by Mastiffsmama

No public high school listed for Pooler. Bloomingdale showed New Hampstead High School with 1 out of 5 star rating. Any public transit? None here, really. If you don't own a car in the Greater Cincinnati area and don't have endless funds for Uber, you're a homebody, especially in suburbia.

New Hampstead is in tiny Bloomingdale, but most NH students actually live in Pooler. Other C-D posters from W. Chatham can better tell you about the attendance zone and academic rating. I think 1 star out of 5 is ridiculous for NH. Other general public high schools in Chatham County, yes, but not New Hampstead High or Islands High. Those two are quite decent.

No, southern cities have no good public transit (outside the downtown of a large core city). It's pretty much nonexistent.