Moderate conservative immigrant family moving from Fairfax VA to Mountain View CA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VA and CA have identical average 8th grade math scores for public school students above the FRPL cutoff (which is an imperfect way to get apples to apples but helps a little).

Not really a good comparison. FCPS is a whole lot better than the majority of the school districts in VA. Likewise, there are more affluent school districts in CA that score better.

Apples to apples -- you want to compare FCPS to a like SES/demographic school district in the Bay Area. You can't compare by size because most of the school districts in the Bay Area are small, town/city based.

FCPS allows students to take Alg in 7th grade. I don't think a lot of CA schools allow that now.

[Anonymous]

If there is one thing that DMV residents are convinced about, it is how education in the DMV is better than anywhere else, with the possible exception of Massachusetts. It is almost provincial.

[Anonymous]

This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

[Anonymous]

It’s laughable that OP thinks his family can live on that salary and pay for private school. Are they going to live in their car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to work for Google? I have to believe there are forums for Google employees that talk about housing in the SV area -- and I bet they address issues you're concerned about.

I'm sure the "I hate gays and am looking for a location where that's ok, but where immigrants aren't hated" will go over real well there

I don't think OP said they hated gays, but just didn't want "indoctrination" in the schools.

Honestly, IMO, this is the least of OP's issue.

Housing costs, commute, and the lack of resources/services for high achieving kids in the public schools are bigger issues. Most of the school districts are very small, and don't have the resources to provide magnet/gifted education like AAP and TJ.

When I lived on the Peninsula, the "gifted" education was a few days of pullout a few times a year to work on "projects". This was one of the reasons why we left. You would think SV, home of super smart people, would have terrific STEM public education, but they don't because they still have to follow CA public education guidelines, and there is no funding. There are very few magnet schools in the area, and a couple of charter schools.

They don’t actually have to use the words “I hate gays.” FFS, they literally asked for a public school where if they whined to the principal, the teacher would be forced to take down a pride flag. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

Can’t believe this obvious troll thread dragged out this many pages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, you should read this: One home, 1,200 potential buyers: The Bay Area’s daunting real estate math https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/1-home-1-206-potential-buyers-The-daunting-math-16833334.php

This is what we have been trying to tell you about housing costs.

There isn’t a “commutable” area that is “affordable” that everyone else hasn’t already found.

I understand that COL in SV is higher than DMV, but I'm still looking to rent, not to buy. From a rough search on zillow, I am finding decent houses/TH in WC with 4.5 - 5K rent. Same for the Peninsula area. Some pp mentioned a parochial school costs around $15k, so this might still be viable from an economic standpoint?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA and CA have identical average 8th grade math scores for public school students above the FRPL cutoff (which is an imperfect way to get apples to apples but helps a little).

Not really a good comparison. FCPS is a whole lot better than the majority of the school districts in VA. Likewise, there are more affluent school districts in CA that score better.

Apples to apples -- you want to compare FCPS to a like SES/demographic school district in the Bay Area. You can't compare by size because most of the school districts in the Bay Area are small, town/city based.

FCPS allows students to take Alg in 7th grade. I don't think a lot of CA schools allow that now.

I think I am fairly convinced that generally, CA/SV public schools < NoVA public schools in terms of quality of education (some mentioned potential exceptions in Marin).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

Can’t believe this obvious troll thread dragged out this many pages.

I was a troll, I would spend my time much more "efficiently" to troll other posts in DCUM and not have all this back and forth discussion with some good people. I would say you are a troll (probably posting multiple times) because you want to derail my thread into personal attacks. I would suggest you spend your time somewhere else, noone forces you to reply here. I will be reporting all personal attacks to DCUM admin to clean up my thread, so don't waste your time here.

[Anonymous]

I don't think Marin schools are comparable to FCPS. They may be the "best" in the SF area, but that's not saying much.

[Anonymous]

I understand that COL in SV is higher than DMV, but I'm still looking to rent, not to buy. From a rough search on zillow, I am finding decent houses/TH in WC with 4.5 - 5K rent. Same for the Peninsula area. Some pp mentioned a parochial school costs around $15k, so this might still be viable from an economic standpoint?

Landlords of SFHs and THs look for tenants to have a gross salary of 40 times the monthly rent to qualify. For $5,000/month you just squeak by at $200K and there are going to be half a dozen applications with higher salaries than yours. Finding a TH/SFH to rent has been almost as hard as finding one to buy since the pandemic began.
- landlord

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I understand that COL in SV is higher than DMV, but I'm still looking to rent, not to buy. From a rough search on zillow, I am finding decent houses/TH in WC with 4.5 - 5K rent. Same for the Peninsula area. Some pp mentioned a parochial school costs around $15k, so this might still be viable from an economic standpoint?

Landlords of SFHs and THs look for tenants to have a gross salary of 40 times the monthly rent to qualify. For $5,000/month you just squeak by at $200K and there are going to be half a dozen applications with higher salaries than yours. Finding a TH/SFH to rent has been almost as hard as finding one to buy since the pandemic began.
- landlord

I'm having 800+ credit score, I think it will help for the application part. Also I assume that my spouse will work as well, so the HHI will be around $250K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

Can’t believe this obvious troll thread dragged out this many pages.

OP is clearly not a troll. I'm guessing that he is an IT H-1b worker likely S Asian. By the clear disdain for LGBT community, I'd say religious conservative as well. I work with many immigrants who are similarly at odds with liberal policies and ideas bc progressive US values (reproductive rights, LGBT rights, racial diversity, etc) clash with the conservative societies of their home countries. I'd say that is really highlighted here, as it was in the Trump 2016 win with many immigrant communities. I mean, look at the swing for Youngkin in VA. Huge swaths of S Asian voters went R just this last Nov.

OP, both TX and FL are really your states, as highlighted above. Neither CA nor FFX Co are your bag. And even more of interest to you, you should like DeSantis' new bill in FL.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/07/desantis-anti-woke-act/

"DeSantis wants to give people the right to sue schools and teachers over what they teach based on student “discomfort.” The proposed legislation is far-reaching and could affect even corporate human resources diversity training...Under the Senate bill, Florida businesses could not mandate that employees attend diversity trainings that cause any individual to “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any form of psychological distress.” Employees who are distressed by a training could file a lawsuit against their employers....The Senate bill also sets new standards for school curriculum, requiring districts to teach “the history and content” of the Declaration of Independence and proper forms of patriotism. Teachers and lesson plans may not imply that any “individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously....A separate bill in the Senate, SB1300, would also appoint a state-trained reviewer in each school district to look over curriculums and textbooks, and establish procedures for any parents or resident to file objections to material they find offensive. Lawmakers are also considering bills that would bar teachers from discussing sexual orientation in primary school, giving parents the right to sue school districts that violate the policy."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

Can’t believe this obvious troll thread dragged out this many pages.

OP is clearly not a troll. I'm guessing that he is an IT H-1b worker likely S Asian. By the clear disdain for LGBT community, I'd say religious conservative as well. I work with many immigrants who are similarly at odds with liberal policies and ideas bc progressive US values (reproductive rights, LGBT rights, racial diversity, etc) clash with the conservative societies of their home countries. I'd say that is really highlighted here, as it was in the Trump 2016 win with many immigrant communities. I mean, look at the swing for Youngkin in VA. Huge swaths of S Asian voters went R just this last Nov.

OP, both TX and FL are really your states, as highlighted above. Neither CA nor FFX Co are your bag. And even more of interest to you, you should like DeSantis' new bill in FL.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/07/desantis-anti-woke-act/

"DeSantis wants to give people the right to sue schools and teachers over what they teach based on student “discomfort.” The proposed legislation is far-reaching and could affect even corporate human resources diversity training...Under the Senate bill, Florida businesses could not mandate that employees attend diversity trainings that cause any individual to “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any form of psychological distress.” Employees who are distressed by a training could file a lawsuit against their employers....The Senate bill also sets new standards for school curriculum, requiring districts to teach “the history and content” of the Declaration of Independence and proper forms of patriotism. Teachers and lesson plans may not imply that any “individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously....A separate bill in the Senate, SB1300, would also appoint a state-trained reviewer in each school district to look over curriculums and textbooks, and establish procedures for any parents or resident to file objections to material they find offensive. Lawmakers are also considering bills that would bar teachers from discussing sexual orientation in primary school, giving parents the right to sue school districts that violate the policy."

I don't know when conservatives became such delicate snowflakes. I used to think that was a liberal thing, but the "run to the manager" OP is really something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, you should read this: One home, 1,200 potential buyers: The Bay Area’s daunting real estate math https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/1-home-1-206-potential-buyers-The-daunting-math-16833334.php

This is what we have been trying to tell you about housing costs.

There isn’t a “commutable” area that is “affordable” that everyone else hasn’t already found.

I understand that COL in SV is higher than DMV, but I'm still looking to rent, not to buy. From a rough search on zillow, I am finding decent houses/TH in WC with 4.5 - 5K rent. Same for the Peninsula area. Some pp mentioned a parochial school costs around $15k, so this might still be viable from an economic standpoint?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA and CA have identical average 8th grade math scores for public school students above the FRPL cutoff (which is an imperfect way to get apples to apples but helps a little).

Not really a good comparison. FCPS is a whole lot better than the majority of the school districts in VA. Likewise, there are more affluent school districts in CA that score better.

Apples to apples -- you want to compare FCPS to a like SES/demographic school district in the Bay Area. You can't compare by size because most of the school districts in the Bay Area are small, town/city based.

FCPS allows students to take Alg in 7th grade. I don't think a lot of CA schools allow that now.

I think I am fairly convinced that generally, CA/SV public schools < NoVA public schools in terms of quality of education (some mentioned potential exceptions in Marin).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This OP had to be a troll. No one would be moronic to consider uprooting their family to SV for a paltry 200k.

I was wondering if OP is a troll too.

Can’t believe this obvious troll thread dragged out this many pages.

I was a troll, I would spend my time much more "efficiently" to troll other posts in DCUM and not have all this back and forth discussion with some good people. I would say you are a troll (probably posting multiple times) because you want to derail my thread into personal attacks. I would suggest you spend your time somewhere else, noone forces you to reply here. I will be reporting all personal attacks to DCUM admin to clean up my thread, so don't waste your time here.

MV area parochials are approximately $25k for two kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP is clearly not a troll. I'm guessing that he is an IT H-1b worker likely S Asian. By the clear disdain for LGBT community, I'd say religious conservative as well. I work with many immigrants who are similarly at odds with liberal policies and ideas bc progressive US values (reproductive rights, LGBT rights, racial diversity, etc) clash with the conservative societies of their home countries. I'd say that is really highlighted here, as it was in the Trump 2016 win with many immigrant communities. I mean, look at the swing for Youngkin in VA. Huge swaths of S Asian voters went R just this last Nov.

OP, both TX and FL are really your states, as highlighted above. Neither CA nor FFX Co are your bag. And even more of interest to you, you should like DeSantis' new bill in FL.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/07/desantis-anti-woke-act/

"DeSantis wants to give people the right to sue schools and teachers over what they teach based on student “discomfort.” The proposed legislation is far-reaching and could affect even corporate human resources diversity training...Under the Senate bill, Florida businesses could not mandate that employees attend diversity trainings that cause any individual to “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any form of psychological distress.” Employees who are distressed by a training could file a lawsuit against their employers....The Senate bill also sets new standards for school curriculum, requiring districts to teach “the history and content” of the Declaration of Independence and proper forms of patriotism. Teachers and lesson plans may not imply that any “individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously....A separate bill in the Senate, SB1300, would also appoint a state-trained reviewer in each school district to look over curriculums and textbooks, and establish procedures for any parents or resident to file objections to material they find offensive. Lawmakers are also considering bills that would bar teachers from discussing sexual orientation in primary school, giving parents the right to sue school districts that violate the policy."

OP here. Your understanding is correct.
[politics hat on]
I have nothing to do with US politics and have no right to vote. But I don't want to be pressured from progressive ideas and values which are not consistent with my family values. The pressure is too much and progressives fail to understand this. Still I'm happy at Fairfax, the Youngkin shift was welcoming news which will keep things a bit more balanced in NoVA. COL is also reasonable.
[politics hat off]
Yes I am aware of conservative politics in TX and FL which are also much more affordable and have lower COL. However the majority of tech industry is in SV, whether I like it or not. If I had an equivalent offer from FL I would accept it without hestitation, but such jobs there are still relatevily scarce.

Anonymous wrote:
MV area parochials are approximately $25k for two kids.

Thanks for the info, so tuition not that bad after all