The national web-based information company GoodCall has named Owensboro/Daviess County as the 35th best city in the country for teachers to live and work. The ranking is based on affordability, school ratings, job competition, and amenities.
“We are incredibly grateful to be recognized on the national scale,” said Dave Kirk, public information officer for the Owensboro Public Schools district. “This ranking shows why our school systems not only provide a world-class education but also are a great place to work.”
According to GoodCall.com, analysts looked at more than 1,000 metropolitan cities across the country to determine the best places for K-12 teachers to live and work. The Owensboro metropolitan area earned a spot as 35th on the Top 100 list and ranks second highest among cities in Kentucky.
“This latest recognition is another example of how our community is breaking away from our peers. It validates our community’s talent recruitment and retention efforts to make any Top 100 list. But, for one directly related to college graduates, what an honor,” said Candance Brake, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.
“Our community has a tradition of supporting quality education, which is a reflection of quality teachers,” said Owens Saylor, superintendent of the Daviess County Public Schools district. “This report highlights the important relationship that exists when great schools contribute to making a community a great place to live.”
GoodCall maintains a website at www.goodcall.com that is dedicated to providing data, technology and resources designed to help individuals and organizations make informed decisions in areas such as education and personal finance. The report about quality communities is posted at goodcall.com
The following information, taken from the GoodCall.com website, summarizes criteria used in selecting cities that earned a place among the “2016 Best Cities for K-12 Teachers to Live and Work”:
Affordability: Teacher salaries in each metropolitan area were pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data was compared against the average salary for all job positions in the same area and weighed against the average cost of housing from the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate an affordability score specific to teachers. This factor represents 35 percent of the overall score.
School Ratings: School quality is important when it comes to teacher satisfaction. GoodCall also considered average weighted SchoolGrades scores for each city or town. School Grades looks at schools’ math and reading scores on national exams, while adjusting for socioeconomic status. This represents 35 percent of the overall score.
Job Availability / Competition: Job competition was calculated by weighing the number of available jobs in each area against the number of resumes currently posted on Indeed.com. We also compared the total number of available jobs per 1,000 residents. This represents 20 percent of the overall score.
Amenities: A town or city that is great for teachers must also offer a good lifestyle outside of the classroom. For this report, we also weighed the number of arts, entertainment and restaurant venues from the U.S. Census Bureau for each town and city. This represents 10percent of the overall score.
