Absolutely Amazing

[Eli]

It is just amazing how much govt influence has on property values.

Take for example a little change like public school jurisdictional lines. Now, it is not segregation per race, but segregation along like city (public) school district lines (jurisdictional) . They welcome all races.

Jurisdictional taxes have a huge impact too. It is like etc.etc.etc.

 

[glenn walker]

Actually this has been going on for many years and let's fact it money talks- Also the fact that schools now days try very hard to pass all students and some may even be inflating test scores which they brag about.

 

[Salty]

I paid 30% more for a house because it was in the school district I wanted. Just how it is in my area. Some districts are so good that the kids are getting the equivalent of a private school experience. The SD fuels the values. When appraising here one had better have good reason for crossing school districts. 9 times out of 10 a location adjustment is needed.

 

[Pittsburgh Pete]

I paid 30% more for a house because it was in the school district I wanted. Just how it is in my area. Some districts are so good that the kids are getting the equivalent of a private school experience. The SD fuels the values. When appraising here one had better have good reason for crossing school districts. 9 times out of 10 a location adjustment is needed.

I've long said that in this area, people buy school districts.

 

[Gobears81]

Before I moved here, the story goes that realtors started steering higher income residents to outlying school districts about 20-years ago. That made the situation worse, as you were left with a school district that can accommodate a much larger base (also accounting for the population loss here over the past 30-years) that is funded by mostly lower-income residents, which resulted in the tax rate being quite high. All of the schools in the district are rated poorly on Greatschools, but like everything else, I believe the stigma to outweigh how bad the schools actually are. I hear that the teachers can't really control the kids and there's not much that they have the ability to do about it though. With that said, the education bill in IL that changed funding formulas did help. The discrepancy in values between school districts is pretty significant, particularly for houses

 

[Deleted member 152047]

No child left behind and school choice negated the school impact in much of the area that I live in. I wouldn't send my kids to any of the public schools in our area. My son goes to a charter school and my daughter will go there as well. If he wasn't accepted to this school (1,600 kid waiting list), we would have sent him to private school.

 

[Pittsburgh Pete]

No child left behind and school choice negated the school impact in much of the area that I live in. I wouldn't send my kids to any of the public schools in our area. My son goes to a charter school and my daughter will go there as well. If he wasn't accepted to this school (1,600 kid waiting list), we would have sent him to private school.

I'm thinking that being 42nd in teachers' salaries makes a significant impact on the quality of schools in Florida generally.

 

[George Hatch]

Who the students are and how they are parented arguably has more impact than teacher salaries. The Catholic schools aren't known for paying their teachers well but have generally enjoyed a pretty good reputation for performance when compared to the public schools serving the same communities.

Elite schools are elite because they can screen their students and reject the ones who cannot or will not perform. Or pay, as the case may be.

 

[Pittsburgh Pete]

Parental involvement in education is the surest measure of success. Unfortunately, folks scraping to get by have much less time to be involved.

 

[Deleted member 152047]

I'm thinking that being 42nd in teachers' salaries makes a significant impact on the quality of schools in Florida generally.

Not really, the cost of living is very reasonable in most areas. There is no shortage of good teachers, however; longevity is an issue in many districts. My wife was a teacher in several different school districts and the variance in how they were operated and funds available for supplies, etc. was astonishing.

For example, in Lee County (Fort Myers, FL) my wife started an art program for a middle school and was given a $200k budget for equipment and supplies. Her annual budget was around $50k for supplies.

In Hillsborough County (Tampa, FL) she was asked to start an art program with a budget of less than $1 per student for materials for the entire year. She was not allowed to ask the parents to contribute funds as they were a Title I school (impoverished). The school was infested with mold.

The second school that she taught at in Hillsborough County was located in one of the wealthiest areas. It was a choice school and they bussed kids in from the roughest areas. Essentially, the wealthier parents took their kids out and sent them to private school. She also had a budget that was around $5 per kid for the entire year for supplies. They regularly turned off the HVAC and temps were consistently above 85 inside the classrooms. Mold abounds.

The worst part of it is not the pay, it was the lack of administrative support, liberal top-heavy nature of the school district, lack of facility funding, lack of supply budget, and in general not being allowed to do their jobs. Teachers in this district last about 7 years, then they move on. That is when the money comes into it. Heck most admins in the private industry make more than teachers.

Lee County didn't have the turnover problem as they supported their teachers better, even though the pay was only a few $k more than Hillsborough.

Regardless, my wife is "retired" now and takes care of our young daughter. She will never go back to teaching.