San Antonio nonprofit eases stress of school search for house-hunting parents

SA Charter Moms helps parents find education options beyond their neighborhood public school

SAN ANTONIO – Felicia Martinez is a wife and mom to two young children with another on the way.

The last three months have been stressful as she and her husband have been searching for their forever home.

“The current real estate market is challenging for buyers,” said Maggie Wilmoth, a broker associate with a local real estate company.

This has proven true for Martinez, who says the competitive and scarce market has pushed her family to continue leasing.

For Martinez, finding the perfect home isn’t only about the finishes and price but also about finding great educational opportunities nearby.

“After my daughter completed Kinder, I realized that the school she went to was an extremely big factor in deciding to buy a home and where to buy it,” she said.

Wilmoth says the school district is one of the number one factors for home buyers.

“It’s of consideration for probably everybody, not just moms and families because it’s part of your investment,” she explained. “It’s a priority for everybody in some way shape or form but especially for moms who are seeking the best educational opportunities for their kids.

But the neighborhood public school is not the end-all-be-all. Inga Cotton, with San Antonio Charter Moms, says there are more options for schools than ever before.

When it comes to house hunting she says “if schools and location are one of the big factors in your decision, but you feel like that’s what you’re getting stuck on, then maybe you can be more flexible about location if you realize that there are these open-enrollment charter schools that your kid can go to no matter what neighborhood they live in.”

Martinez has been part of SA Charter Moms Facebook group for years but says now she’s really dived into the resources the non-profit provides.

The SA Charter Moms app allows her to input the address of any prospective homes and see all nearby education options including public, private, and charter schools. But the pandemic has also opened more doors to virtual and home school options.

For parents in the market for a new home, but are worried about where their child will go to school, Cotton encourages them to explore their options.

“The supply of good quality schools keeps growing. It can be stressful to change schools but it can also be kind of reinvigorating and a process of discovery for your child and it can help you find new interests and talents in your kids,” she said.

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A San Antonio native currently in her dream job as the executive producer behind KSAT special programming like Fiesta parades, Dia De Los Muertos and the Rodeo special. When she's not prepping for these productions, she's helping run KSAT's social media channels.