A second mortgage or private school tuition for two?
As a life-long member of the 99%, I am just as angry about our country's financial situation as everyone else. My husband and I did everything the way we were supposed to according to the American Dream--if only a little out of order. We moved in together, bought a house that we could afford, got engaged, got married and had our first child almost two years later followed by a second child exactly two-and-a-half years later (give or take three days).
Up until now, the decisions that we have made for our daughters have had their best interest at heart and have been relatively simple. This meant that made countless decisions about feeding, sleeping, education and safety that worked best for our family and our efforts to raise children that people enjoyed being around. But now the days of simple decisions that are right for our family are over. We are now having to contemplate a decision that will change not only where we live but how we live and our general stress levels and it's being done with our childrens' best interest at heart.
Like millions of other Americans, my husband and I are underwater on our mortgage. Unlike millions of other Americans, we are underwater on our mortgage in a neighborhood that no longer shows even hints of being "up and coming" and in a neighborhood where the local school is not an option. Our neighborhood school has a history of being a failing school. One consequence of being a failing school in Florida is that money and resources are taken away from your school and given to charter schools or private institutions. This means that a failing school in the urban core of Jacksonville, Florida, is populated by some of the most vulnerable children and doesn't have a library where they can checkout books.
That is not acceptable for any child. Much less my child. However, I cannot change the reality of the world for any child. But I can change it for my children.
Right now, my husband and I are faced with the daunting decision to purchase a new home in a better neighborhood with a good school while renting our house at a loss; praying that our kids get accepted to a magnet school and lying about our address if they don't; or paying private school tuition for two girls. Can you tell me where the right and easy answer is? Because I don't know. I just know that in our situation there is certainly not an easy answer and there may not even be a right answer. Prayers and neon signs showing us the way are welcome.
