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Hey Monty,
Hawaii has only one public school district and it covers the whole state and it is in major crisis. ooops maybe I should have said MAJOR CRISIS!
Charter or private is the way to go especially for a 14 year old boy. Most all are good. There would be plenty of opportunity for him to find bad influence in the public system.
I moved 4 teenagers around several times and they all complained big time with all the excuses why not to move. In the end not one of them suffered and all agree that the moves improved them overal. I think parents worry about that too much and put too much emotion into it.
The bottom line is what can you afford to live in? Craigslist Hawaii and name the islands will give you a basic place to see what rentals cost and what houses cost. You will see that you need a bigger budget on all islands but the BI. But then on the BI island you have few choices a to healthcare and quality education.
I too am looking at moving to Hawaii and I can tell you that after two years deciding Hawaii is one of the most difficult states in the country to make a decision on for me. There are so many things that influence so many things...
If you have not visited Hawaii and stayed for at least a month and really looked around and gotten a feel for things, then you are risking a mistake. It takes a month or longer to get a feel. And I have been on every Island but Lania and they are all different.
Good Luck!
Best!
BobH
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Actually, not all charter schools are at the same level. the whole point of the charters is to provide widely diverse educational options for families, so I would recommend carefully checking them out so you find the best fit. It is also important to get on the waiting list asap.
In general, I would say to take advice from people who are actually living here, or have lived here recently. There are also some very helpful archived threads here on the forum for people about the process of moving to Hawaii.
edited to add: charter schools are also public schools and have to admit any child who gets to the top of the waiting list.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Just to get you started: Link to the Hawaii DOE:
http://doe.k12.hi.us/index.php
link to the Hawaii Charter School list:
http://www.hcsao.org/hicharters/profiles
Link to the Uh system "running start" program for qualifying junior & senior HS:
http://www.hawaii.edu/runningstart/
Also it is best to check to make sure that your health insurance does not change if you move to Hawaii (my husbands retirement plan did...)
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Kathy,
I am with your kids on this one, we had lived in 19 different houses by the time I was 16 and it was the pits. My parents were tenure track professors who had to do research in other countries, so we moved even more than my cousins whose dad was in the Air Force! I chose to stay in the same house for virtually all my kids' growing up years so they could have life long relationships. My parents made their careers the first priority, I waited until my kids were almost grown to start mine. I'm not saying either one is right or wrong, just that each choice has different long term consequences for the whole family.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Re: Puna & Hilo healthcare. I have had no difficulty getting a primary care physician, and like her very much - Michelle Mitchell, in Hilo. Young, new, with state-of-the-art knowledge. As to hospitals, we have the largest on the island here in Hilo, and a heart specialist, but anything major they airlift you to Honolulu. Of course the cost of living and housing there is about four times what it is in Hawai'i, never mind the Puna District, where I live & love it. Kaiser Permanente is only a clinic here. They don't even carry my medication! (But Puna Pharmacy does.) Again, any major problems, or if your doctor is off island the day you need him / her, Kaiser sends you to Honolulu.
Schools: Check out St. Joseph's school in Hilo. Their graduates seem to have a good track record to go to college. Most private schools & charter schools are FAR better than the public schools, though I know a doctor that graduated from Pahoa High School. The best advice has been given. Come over & look around. I'm a Realtor & I NEVER advise people to move here or buy here sight unseen. I absolutely love it here, but it's not for everyone.
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Sherrill, Do you have a phone number for Dr. Michelle Mitchell?
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I am learning such a lot from all you guys. I am coming to visit for the months of June & July this year as a lot of people have suggested.
When I am there, I would like to meet each and everyone of you to get further advice. I hope I am not being too presumptuous.
But, please keep your posts coming. There is so much to absorb. I may not thank each person individually, but that does not mean I don't appreciate your advice.
Since my house burned down, I now own a better view of the rising moon.
"Since my house burned down, I now own a better view of the rising moon"
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Particle board bookcases, etc., don't hold up in this area.
Don't sell all your furniture before you move. If you have to, store them on the mainland. You'll most likely be moving back to the mainland in a couple of years.
Just a thought, with all this talk of Kaiser. Does Kaiser really accept new insureds and cover pre-existing heart conditions? I think Monty said Blue Cross. I believe that in Hawai'i that's HMSA.
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We were forced to switch to HMSA and have found them to be absolutely the worst insurance possible. They wouldn't cover an emergency room physician because he was not on their list! When you go to the emergency room you do not get a choice of doctors, you get whoever is on duty. We also found that no decent orthopedic surgeon would take them and other medical care providers also are very resistant. They will lie, don't return phone calls and automatically deny everything. A hospitalization ended up costing us literally thousands of dollars more than when we were insured with HSA. They made my husband wait 12 hours for a lifesaving antibiotic while they decided if they would cover it or not. Do not use them if you have any other option, unless you want a bean counter making medical decisions for you.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
