Strength of Tennessee infrastructure and state budget (Knoxville, Chattanooga: how much, to buy) - (TN) - City-Data Forum

CAtoGA · 06-14-2009, 12:02 PM

Hi all. It's been a long time since the last time I visited the forum. Our plans for moving have been put off for a while

but I am still working on it. It seems to be getting to the boiling point here in CA budget-wise and I am wondering if TN is having similar difficulties. I know the economy is down everywhere, but CA seems to be in dire straights with no sign of recovery in the near (or even distant if you ask me) future.

I know the roads back there are kept up beautifully (from what I saw anyway). Out here - well in my neck of the woods the roads suck (for lack of a better term) and the Gov is probably going to cut funding for road repairs along with everything else.

As for the schools - they have already cut funding so much in the last couple of years that we are paying for way more than we should be in a public school.

Anyway, my husband is getting more and more in tune with the idea of moving as time goes by (and the kids less and less) but any ammo I can get would be great. Can I get opinions from residents as to the state of the state?

Thanks. Hope everyone is doing well in this economy.

Beretta · 06-14-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CAtoGA

Hi all. It's been a long time since the last time I visited the forum. Our plans for moving have been put off for a while

but I am still working on it. It seems to be getting to the boiling point here in CA budget-wise and I am wondering if TN is having similar difficulties. I know the economy is down everywhere, but CA seems to be in dire straights with no sign of recovery in the near (or even distant if you ask me) future.

I know the roads back there are kept up beautifully (from what I saw anyway). Out here - well in my neck of the woods the roads suck (for lack of a better term) and the Gov is probably going to cut funding for road repairs along with everything else.

As for the schools - they have already cut funding so much in the last couple of years that we are paying for way more than we should be in a public school.

Anyway, my husband is getting more and more in tune with the idea of moving as time goes by (and the kids less and less) but any ammo I can get would be great. Can I get opinions from residents as to the state of the state?

Thanks. Hope everyone is doing well in this economy.

You may enjoy reading this previous thread on the subject: //www.city-data.com/forum/tenne...tennessee.html

jabogitlu · 06-14-2009, 01:55 PM

I did read that California was moving towards an Internet-based, non-textbook environment for its school as a cost saving venture. Tennessee is far, far away from a reality like that.

VolDude · 06-14-2009, 01:58 PM

We're not that far away. Besides, Kindles can be bought anywhere and will be the norm (or hardware like it) within the next few years.

jabogitlu · 06-14-2009, 02:35 PM

Technological advancement-wise, yes, we're probably not that far off, but that's more of a national thing than a state-by-state venture.

I was commenting on the fact that California is looking, within the year, to eliminate textbooks as a way to reduce their budget.

VolDude · 06-14-2009, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Technological advancement-wise, yes, we're probably not that far off, but that's more of a national thing than a state-by-state venture.

I was commenting on the fact that California is looking, within the year, to eliminate textbooks as a way to reduce their budget.

Just read an article on it, and now I see where the savings would come from, secondary and lower schools. I was ignorantly thinking this applied only to college students, therefore not much savings for the state because college kids buy their own books. Yeah, that's a great idea and we should look into that.

CAtoGA · 06-22-2009, 11:12 AM

Thanks for the input. I checked out that other thread, Smokymntgal, but it didn't tell me what I really want to know. From a personal point of view, how have things changed, how do you think the TN government is doing?

Jabogitlu, I hadn't heard or read anything about CA going the non-textbook route. It would be interesting, but with the number of "underprivileged" families here who cannot afford internet service, or even computers in some instances, I'm not sure how that would work.

I am truly beginning to get worried about the state of CA. We have two kids, one a sophomore and one in 7th grade. For our youngest, that still leaves a fair amount of schooling left. I read yesterday that the per child spending amount in CA has decreased 10% just in the last 2 years. As it is, last year we put out close to $500 for our freshman to go to school, and that did not include all the school supplies like binders, paper, pencils, etc. Then we still had to pay for him to play sports, a class fee for 2 of his classes, and he "had" to have a graphing calculator for one of his upcoming classes but they had to get them before the last school year was over so they could program them. The school bus was $150/semester just for the high-schooler.

Rambling, sorry. Anyway, things are just getting worse here - the Gov is talking about shutting down the government if a balanced budget can't be agreed upon soon. What does that mean for us? He is also talking about closing over 200 state parks. The other option to that is to increase our auto registration by $15 per vehicle - this on top of the increase that took effect in May that raised the vehicle licensing fee from 0.65% to 1.12%.

Getting virtually impossible to stay afloat here. Is TN any better off?

jabogitlu · 06-22-2009, 01:35 PM

TN is much better off. You won't pay for a school bus... and there were some class fees in my high school (five years ago) for the science supplies and computer lab supplies but I think it was $5 a class, and I think I paid for about three classes.

I know that at the school my mom teaches at, if you can't afford to buy supplies like scissors (she teaches kindergarten) the school will work with you to supply your child with essentials.

We've not had talks about shutting down the state gov't in a while. And there aren't any talks about increasing any sort of taxes AFAIK, and with the Rethuglicans controlling the legislature now, I doubt there will be for the foreseeable future.

I'd imagine that no one is answering your question because nobody really knows. There's not been any *bad* news going around about our state government, but there's nothing crazy positive, either... Still, the state of TN itself is doing well with Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities and especially Nashville and Clarksville growing. VW is building a mega manufacturing facility in Chattanooga that's projected to inject $1 bil into the local economy.

knoxgarden · 06-22-2009, 04:51 PM

Tennesseeans in general, and East Tennesseeans in particular, don't rely on the government to do things for them. There's a very different attitude from California. You'll find churches a lot more active in charities and helping folks. Family is important and willing to lend a hand, neighbors help out if they see someone in need. It's a self-reliant attitude that will serve Tennessee and other rural, Southern states well in these times.
While California had this huge boom and now this big bust, Tennessee just sort of toodled along. It never got the big bucks of the boom times, but it's not being hurt as much by the bust, either.

Beretta · 06-22-2009, 04:55 PM

Um, I shared the link for reading enjoyment (on a similar subject) not because I thought it would answer your questions. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

TN is not in as great a shape as one would believe. The insiders are very good at keeping things hushed up. I am not saying it is as bad as CA or other states; but it isn't great either. The next administration will have a lot of discoveries and things to clean up.

We have had to pay a LOT in school fees in Maryville city schools. It is amazing how much they expect from parents for lab or supply fees.