Schools-How to Compare

I am writing this as a parent--a dad- with four kids. Two of my kids have special needs. One of my other kids is VERY gifted and needs to be in an accelerated settign to challenge him or he will get bored. My daughter is the fourth kdis and she is mroe or less a typical 5th grader. My wife works as an assistant is a special needs class at school as well.

I am telling you that because I want you to understand where I am coming from. I see THOUSANDS of families move to and from Louisville each year as part of my work  with the real estate firm. So how do they decide WHERE to live...WHAT schools to send their kids to and etc.?

Most people (whent hey get transferred or a job brings them to the Louisville area), they worry about the schools. They wonder about Kentucky in general. They view it as a "country bumkin" place to live. I know. I thought that 10 years ago as I moved my family here from California.

The truth is that there are GREAT scholls and POOR schools in every city in the country and there are schools districts that respond well to kids with special needs and those that do not everywhere. If I was moving to a new area (which I am not) , here is how I'd go about it.

1) The ONLY time the school DISTRICT comes into play is if I have kids with special needs-WHY? Because the district is who controls the funding and the decision making about special needs kids. Therefore, if I had a kids with special needs--I'd ask around about which district is responsive to parent needs in this regard. In our area Oldham County Schools and Greater Clark (in Southern Indiana) seem to do the BEST job in my opinion. We live in southern indiana and wouldn't move for anything.

When special needs are not a consideration, schools matter more than districts. Plan ahead. Look not only to elementary schools but tot he middle schools and high schools as well. (Yeah, I know you may think that you will be moving in a couple years or so, but you NEVER know...

Also, part of your homes resale value DEPENDS on not only the schools your kids are going to now, but on the schools that potential buyers' kids might go to. Something to think about.

In short, look for the PERFECT school district for special needs and look for the perfect schools (inlcuding ALL age levels) to make your home purchase the most effective for your children. 

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