moving from a good school district to a bad one

In NYC, your child gets to stay in the school if they've started there. A transfer (thus far, things could change) is not obligatory ever.

get ready for the schlepp, every school day.....2X

a general comment because i don't know where you are moving to... in our case, since moving into a district that we didn't know (brooklyn, #14, North williamsburg and greenpoint), we've seen huge changes ie: new charter, options at public schools we didn't know about like a new dual langauge french class @ PS84, a new montessori, a new private school, good catholic schools, etc...), you may also discover options you didn't know about. we also found out about the well rated PS31 that is a magnet school.
good luck and talk to lots of local parents. maybe there's a yahoo group too? we have brooklynbabyhui which is a fantastic resource.

We're currently in Fidi, which is zoned for ps 234, arguably the best in Manhattan. We still don't feel it's neighbourhoody after living here for 4 years but don't have the means to buy a family-size condo in Tribeca. We're looking into Brooklyn Heights (ps 8, only 5 out 10 by greatschools rating), Northside Piers(ps 17, also 5/10), LIC (Ps 78, 7/10 but new and unreliable).
Wisco - Glad to find out that your PS31 is a 10/10!!! But my wife and I both work in Midtown East and the communite from far North Williamburg will be out of question!

wait - that's a commute? sure FIDI took about the same. BH would be further than williamsburg. To midtown it's the L to Union SQ, then 4 or 5 express) 20-25 minutes tops- my husband works in East Midtown actually. if you're in greenpoint, it's the G to the 7 which is very quick.

on schools: PS17 is a pretty good school, so we're not ruling it out either. housed in the same building is MS577 which is a terrific middle school. it's pretty easy to get into PS 132 which is also in District 14 and really good - they also have a G&T program. TECCS is the new charter. going to the open house tour there this week. we're at pre-k at PS84 right now which has been extremely good, so may stay and do either dual language French or Spanish. also, in Greenpoint is PS34 which tops the charts in everyway. have friends with 3 kids who bought a townhouse just to in the 34 zone.

we happen to be in a building with a ton of kids and have a built in support group and playmates which was unexpected but wonderful. The family thing is booming by the second in WB - our building just saw another baby born and there's at least 3 pregnant woman that i know of, so more WB residents on the way.

the WB kid/school thing is changing by the minute, so much that has been listed in the past isn't even relevant anymore. ironically, we moved from Park Slope where we were zoned for PS321 which is top and all, but seriously, the community of families is nicer and more tightly knit here. we were instantly happier even though we never even considered that having so many more family friends was going to happen - we bought our place because it was perfect for us, and now are just so glad we moved. you'd definitely find the neighborhood thing you're lacking in FIDI.

best of luck, know that looking to buy is tough, but rates are low and you can certainly make a deal on pricing.