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CampingMom, I'm sorry, but when it comes to education, I refuse to adapt and accept something so standard to the basic needs of children. You definitely take things for granted when you live up north. Like lots of taxes. And good education.
Education, just like our children, should never be messed with. You'll see what I mean if and when you get here. You will wonder where all the money goes (not that it's much)!
Well, then you don't know our school district here in upstate NY. We spend 18K per student-yet more than half didn't score at grade level for the recent school year testings that the State does. It's pathetic. So don't think that spending tons of money equals a good education-it doesn't. I've a friend from HS who has been teaching in NMB for 20 years-she's told me exactly what schools to send my kid to if we get there-she'd know.
I've not been impressed with my kids education here in NY for sometime-they are/or have attended the exact same schools I went to as a kid. It's really sad what they aren't getting taught. Heck, my 12 year old had never heard of Jesse James and the James Gang-neither had my two who are in college. So what did they get taught-oh yeah-NYS ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies to the tests only. I hate everything about NYS Regents-it's antiquated. It's a waste of time. No one cares at out of state colleges that you took it and no one cares when your 25 looking for that 1st job-you took Regents. IB and AP classes are what mean something all across the board. The schools in the MB area have more of them that what is offered here. I want my child to take classes that challenge her-not dumb her down. In NYS-the Regents passing grade was 55. What message are we sending-you only have to know 55% to pass? That's not acceptable.
Since we still aren't close to getting there yet-and may not get there before my youngest graduates-schools to me are a moot point right now. I may not even need their services when we get there. And for colleges, well her grandparents went to UNC, VA Tech and LSU. Oh and my cousin is Provost at Wake Forrest. So she'll do fine for which ever of the colleges down south she picks from I believe.
I hope you don't need the schools when you get here. I am so sorry for moving here because of the schools. And my DS does go to one of the better schools.
I don't feel that they challenge him and all they care about are the test scores! These kids get so stressed about the test. I know what they are teaching at his old school in NJ and it isn't even close. They never touch on current events, teach Everyday Math, which I have not found one person that likes it.
He is going into 5th. grade and has never had to write a book report - in lst. grade in NJ he had to do a 1 page book report. His computer class here is a babysitting class for 40 minutes - all they do are Math problems from a program instead of teaching them they computer. Yes in NJ even in lst. grade they were learning how to use the computer, keyboarding, power point and such.
If I could move back I would, just for the school, I never realized how different a school could be even in regards to extra activities, such as band, sports, plays, art and music.
He has been very lucky in regards to some wonderful teachers!
I was at a bbq yesterday with 3 or 4 teachers. 1 taught in Newburg, NY originally, moved to NC and also taught there. She HATED it. I didn't ask why because she was so adamant about how horrible it was lol.
The other teachers (one was my daughter's former english teacher) understood where I was coming from when we were talking about how poor the education was here. One even stated "well at least there are a few states worse than us!" (we were discussing SC's placement in education).
When you stated about Jesse James I kind of chuckled. It's not like they NEED to know that information, is it? I don't think I learned about it either. That's something a parent would discuss, no? I remember my mom telling me about the wild west when we would watch John Wayne movies together.
What I was dismayed with my kid's education here is that they have been constantly studying southern history. Is there no other part of the country? How come they still discuss it at great length in middle and high school? That should be an elementary education, and then move on. The things my son learned last year in 9th grade, I learned in middle school.
He's going into honors classes this year, and hopefully that will catch him up to the rest of the nation.
Interesting that you bring up the fact that the southern schools are really still into the southern perspective of history. When my son studied at UT in Chattanooga (we are originally from NJ) , he was told "barbarians from the north" came and raided the south. Imagine how that made him feel!! Subsequently, he transferred to UT in Knoxville, but had another history professor who did civil war re-enactmants in his off time. My son also said that a majority of the students in these classes seemed to know just as much, if not more, about the civil war than their professors. It's quite a big deal here in East Tennesse. (Which is why we are checking out the areas near Charleston, SC to relocate .. feels alot more comfortable for us northerners there than here in East Tennessee. I wouldn't even put a NY Yankees sticker on my car or wear a Giants cap.. it would be considered almost an insult to do something like that around here....
I sympathize with parents who have moved here and are disappointed with the schools. We raised two kids, and I understand. Although there are exceptions, in general, our school systems are not a source of pride.
At the same time, I suspect it would not take a lot of digging thru old threads to find that some of the loudest complainers were previously bragging with glee about how low the taxes are down here, in relation to NJ, NY, etc...... Does it really come as a shock to anyone that there might be a relationship between low taxes and the quality of state-provided services? Did you really expect to find similar resources here, compared to your previous lifestyle that included much higher taxes?? It ain't rocket science, folks....
The disappointing quality of SC schools, as well as SC's low taxes, are both well documented on here and in more reliable resources. I cannot imagine anyone who did their homework on taxes and cost of living prior to moving were not confronted with the concerns regarding the education system. Is it possible that the attraction of one resulted in tunnel vision regarding the other?
Keep in mind the situation does not get better as college approaches. While SC does have some good universities, the cost of a mediocre college education for in-state SC students generally is far more expensive than a college education at exceptional schools for in-state students in other states. <Recent newspaper article>
When I first started researching the area I was not aware that the school system was sub-par, in fact greatschools.org listed many as being very good. It wasn't until I started researching more, (the most useful information came from City Data), that I realized that websites such as these may not show the entire picture. Also, at this time, I didn't realize that there were no school taxes and like PD said you can't get something for nothing.
For us, moving to a place that was more affordable was a necessity, and even though we have young children the schools didn't really factor in. I home-schooled my oldest child and although I would prefer not to do that again I would if I had to.
As for curriculum, I wonder if we expect too much from our schools? For me, I can deal with issues like that. I look back on my days in school. I went to a Catholic school for the first six years. The nuns told us some whoppers, one of my favorite being that sitting on a boys lap without a phone book in between would result in pregnancy. Obviously my parents stepped in an cleared up the confusion. In my opinion, anyone who hands over complete responsibility to a school for their child's education is going to be disappointed. The most important educator in every child's life will always be their parents. (just my opinion)
What I do see as a huge issue when it comes to those lack of dollars is that many children do not have that support system at home. They fall through the cracks. They have no one there to pickup the pieces, or fill in the blanks when the schools do not provided them with what they need. These are the children that suffer the most from a failing school system, not mine, and probably not yours.
Both PD and neece are right, not surprisingly. When we did our research before we moved here, St. James schools were the best, followed by Carolina Forest. It was difficult to gauge which would be best because you don't know until you're actually IN the school. Granted, they came no where close to the HS where my son was currently attending, but we moved for family reasons, and it had very little to do with taxes. We made more than enough to cover our taxes up there. I was hoping the schools would be a bit more strict because every time we came down here we always heard the kids with "yes sir", and honestly, that impressed me. Didn't realize at the time it was a southern parent thing, not a school thing! I hadn't even heard of this website until after I moved here...a tad too late!
What does the state do with the "education" lottery money? Is it for colleges, or for all schools? Frankly, with the amt that goes into the lottery, one would think the schools would be better funded.
@Tenessee Fan, I feel your pain. My kids have always stated that they learn more about southern history than any other history of the world, or even of this country. A few years ago one of my daughter's teachers told her to go "back to NY where you belong" when she asked why they only studied southern stuff. What a lovely way for a teacher to speak to a child! Wake up folks, the Civil War is OVER and you LOST. Move past it already.
I'm hoping one day the current leaders in SC wake up and realize all they are losing because of how they run (or fail to) this state. You can only vote them out so often, but even the new ones are no better than the old. Eventually, they will have a revalation that flying that darned flag in Columbia is just dividing the state even further from the rest of tha nation, and not only within this state. They are holding the Grand Strand hostage, and until then, we won't ever be what people invision. Just how many times must we be passed by when it comes to sports venues? People may like how the south is and love their history, etc. But you can't always LIVE like it's the 1800s or early 1900s, if you want some sort of progression for your people.
What does the state do with the "education" lottery money? Is it for colleges, or for all schools? Frankly, with the amt that goes into the lottery, one would think the schools would be better funded.
I'm curious as well, but I must confess it is for for a different reason than most. I find it ironic that in a state that still bans games of cards and dice we choose to fund our education system through gambling. Don't get me wrong, I buy the occasional lottery ticket myself, although I truly believe that people who play it toss all math to the side in hopes of striking it rich. As someone who has played poker for living I find it offensive that a state that bans a game of skill would fund their schools on a lottery. To me that says a lot.
I was at a bbq yesterday with 3 or 4 teachers. 1 taught in Newburg, NY originally, moved to NC and also taught there. She HATED it. I didn't ask why because she was so adamant about how horrible it was lol.
The other teachers (one was my daughter's former english teacher) understood where I was coming from when we were talking about how poor the education was here. One even stated "well at least there are a few states worse than us!" (we were discussing SC's placement in education).
When you stated about Jesse James I kind of chuckled. It's not like they NEED to know that information, is it? I don't think I learned about it either. That's something a parent would discuss, no? I remember my mom telling me about the wild west when we would watch John Wayne movies together.
What I was dismayed with my kid's education here is that they have been constantly studying southern history. Is there no other part of the country? How come they still discuss it at great length in middle and high school? That should be an elementary education, and then move on. The things my son learned last year in 9th grade, I learned in middle school.
He's going into honors classes this year, and hopefully that will catch him up to the rest of the nation.
Well here in NYS-we study the Native American's until they are blue in the face with it. Two whole school years are devoted to it. And even though I am Lakota Sioux-it's way over done.
My point was that we are neglecting our nations history to focus on other nations and not making the grade with what they are learning. My kids didn't know about the wild west-or the building of the transcontinental rail road. Yet they could tell you all about Egypt. We need to know our own nation's history-it's sad when I've friends from foreign country's who know more about it than our students.
I am not even sure we'll have to deal with schools by the time we get there. So we may just becoming to bring out business to the area and enjoy the area instead.
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Did you really expect to find similar resources here, compared to your previous lifestyle that included much higher taxes?? 
Obviously my parents stepped in an cleared up the confusion. In my opinion, anyone who hands over complete responsibility to a school for their child's education is going to be disappointed. The most important educator in every child's life will always be their parents. (just my opinion)
