When comparing housing costs, for
instance, the amount of money which is spent on housing is
similar--but the size/shape of the apartment/house is different.
My friends that have moved from here to NYC would vehemently diasgree. The
entry level teacher here can get a liveable apartment in a safe neighborhood
for around $400-600, cheaper if you qualify for low income rates. Utilitites
are less. A really nice house, like a 20 year teacher would have, again in a
nice neighborhood, over 2000 sq. ft. would be possible under $200,000. Quite
a bit less for older, far suburbs.
The actual staffing of the
classrooms (student-to-teacher ratio) is similar, but the
student-to-staff ratio (counting all the state people that do nothing
but fly desks) is way different.
That's the real bloat. Ask a classroom teacher.
I always get a kick out of when people say how I wouldn't be able to
afford living in a big city because the average house cost is 2X what
it is here. If cities were such a dismal place to live and
unaffordable, then how come so many people live in them?
Because they are willing to take the bad elements for the amenities. We see
younger people moving to the biggest cities for the advantages, and later in
life returning to the heartland as it's harder to stomach when older
--
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