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I am looking for some advice about moving. After reading the forums it seems that MB isin't as great to move to as I always thought. However, I come from a dying, crime ridden, no jobs, bad schools, etc... city. The kind of place that we all say, last one to leave turn out the lights. Now, if you compare the worst schools in New York state to Myrtle Beach schools, how would they stack up? I have been to MB 5 different times and it always seemed like the place for me. I got married and took my husband, and now he is on board too. After reading everyone's comments I am scared because they say how bad the schools are. The thing is that 1 of the reasons we are leaving is because of the bad schools, including high taxes, bad weather, no jobs etc. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
IMHO believe it or not there are some very good schools on the Strand. The common core is being implemented in SC so the schools will all be required to meet the same stands as other states next year. Funding in the south is the big issue. Many schools lack funding for all the extra things taken for granted in the NE. This may include smart boards, elementary Spanish or gyms just to name a few. My limited experience has been they make the most of what they have and work harder to make up for what they lack. Please be aware that the "Myrtle Beach area" is a large area encompassing parts of both Georgetown and Horry counties. It encompases a wide range of social economics so what may be said for one area or school may not be true for others. If I said I was pleased with my sons current school and it's faculty I would be lying..... Pleased would not do it justice ..... OVER JOYED , IMPRESSED, EXCITED would be more like it. I was amazed at the responses that parents gave me when I asked about the schools prior to moving. I found it hard to believe all the positive comments and just how excited they were to talk about their school. Now I find myself the same way. Teachers that are excited , administrators that are supportive and kids that are motivated. We could not be happier. There are also some very good private schools in the area for other options.
The one thing that can not be stressed enough is employment . When I started my search just about every poster added it to thier replies and now that we are residents I can see why . Well paying jobs are hard to come by and even with the low taxes things cost money. Also do your homework and research as much as possible about a few different areas and read all the past relocation threads and keep an eye out for(summering,bay lovers, Pawleysdude just to name a few)
I really know we got lucky and picked the perfect spot for
my family. It really hit me a few weeks ago when my wife and myself both agreed that if we hit the power ball we would just build a bigger house down the street. To me that's the sure way to know yep I am home. Best of luck on your search and journey.
Thank you so much. It was so funny to me all the bad comments only because they are comparing to NYC. The rest of the state pays for NYC and then still has awful schools. It made male laugh when you were saying taking things for granted. We don't have any of those things. I had to beg the superintendents office in order to get gym and art. Now I have small children and want good schools, but there are other factors. There are no jobs here that aren't minimum wage, and even then they are hard to get. Luckily my husband can transfer from the post office, and I work from home so the job thing isn't as much an issue. Like here a letter carrier is a really good job. What is a letter carriers job there? Is it considered a decent job there? In the rest of the country it definitely is not. The cost of living is way higher than here cause we have nothing. However, it seems the cost of living of MB area is very similar. Looking for good school districts seems to be hard on the internet. At least, this website offers some insight. Even things like homes are different. Here we pay more, and have these very outdated old houses that are expensive to heat and maintain. Then if you want to move to the "good" school districts your taxes are more like 4000. We are in the "bad" district and it is still 2800 a year with crappy schools. For a lot less I can get a brand new home there. I just want good schools and a good neighborhood for my family. Any advice on which school district are good would be greatly appreciated.
SchoolDigger.com - School Rankings, Reviews and More - Public and Private Elementary, Middle, High Schools GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community
These are a couple of helpful sites to see how schools compare. I have found that the biggest difference between "good" and "bad" schools is the differnce of how active the parents and community are with the children's education. If you find a large active PTO, well attended school functions and general school pride chances are you will also find they have the highest test scores in an area .
SC schools do not have districts like the kinds that are common in other areas. Many other states ,districts are defined by towns. Much of SC is unincorporated and schools are organized by counties. This means that when looking for schools just living close does not mean you child will attend the school. It is important to know what county you will reside in. For the whole strand it's either Georgetown or Horry county. The county line does a little wiggle in Murrells inlet with the south side attending Waccamaw high and north side going to Saint James High. IMO both are excellent schools and will compare well with most NE public schools. I am sure others can offer insight for schools to the north.
When it comes to mail delivery person in Georgetown county I believe the prerequisite for employment is the unique ability to site on the right handside of your car while driving. I guess long arms and legs help. It appears delivery is sub contracted out as all the mail delivery I have seen is with personal cars an the driver stretching their arm and leg from the left side. I will assume that saying your car is a stick shift on the job application would not be helpfull.
It does not take to long to figure out taxes are relative item. What's high for one may be cheap for another. I came from and area of $6000 to $12000 year so $5000 would of been a wow look how low my taxes are. I have no doubt that by next year I will be complaining if my propery taxes are more than my car insurance . Keep in mind that homeowners insurance most likely will be 2 to3 times what your property tax is and possibly much higher depending on location. There are a few theads on this. Again this is relative as people coming from a high property tax area will still find the high home owners a bargin.
IMHO believe it or not there are some very good schools on the Strand. The common core is being implemented in SC so the schools will all be required to meet the same stands as other states next year.
I really know we got lucky and picked the perfect spot for my family. It really hit me a few weeks ago when my wife and myself both agreed that if we hit the power ball we would just build a bigger house down the street. To me that's the sure way to know yep I am home. Best of luck on your search and journey.
Common Core will be gone next year in South Carolina. Nikki Haley signed a Bill (H3893) on May 30, 2014 dropping Common Core Standards in SC. It will be replaced with new standards developed by the South Carolina Department of Education that must be approved by the state school board and the non-legislative Education Oversight Committee.
We were the second state to abandon Common Core Standards and other states are now following.
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