San Francisco Bay Area high school teacher Lisa Raskin moved out of a cramped apartment that she shared with a roommate. Finally, she got into her own place this summer. Raskin pays a deeply discounted $1,500 per month. For that amount, she now inhabits a one-bedroom with expansive views within walking distance of work.
It was once an impossible dream in a pricey region. But the Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City, California, might be a rare success story in the struggle to provide affordable homes. In May, it opened 122 rental apartments for teachers and staff.
1 Timothy 5:18 tells us, “The laborer deserves his wages.” But what happens when those wages aren’t enough to live near your job? A lack of affordable housing is one of the reasons some teachers are leaving the profession. A national teacher shortage makes it hard for schools to find and keep enough educators.
Some schools hope that adding affordable housing as a benefit for employees will help. Having teachers living in the communities they serve is also a plus for schools and students.
California is not the only state struggling in this way. Some school districts in other states including North Carolina, New Jersey, and Florida are pursuing or have already built educator housing.
Roughly a quarter of the 500 employees at Jefferson Union were resigning or retiring every year. The district’s teacher salaries for the 2022-23 year start at $60,000. It could not compete with wealthier schools. They pay new teachers $76,000 or more.
In the 2017-2018 school year, officials came up with a plan. It included a $75 million housing complex. The construction will provide more-affordable rental spaces to teachers and staff.
The district also has an ambitious plan to lease school property for a money-making development. It would mix retail space with housing. Officials hope to generate revenue to beef up teacher pay.
Renters at the school district complex can stay up to five years. The idea is that they can use the time to save for a down payment on a house. But homes are also becoming more difficult to buy. A 2016 study found that only 20% of homes for sale across major U.S. metro areas were affordable on an average teacher’s salary of $62,800. That’s down from 34% in 2012.
Some are skeptical about the plan’s potential for success. Educator Mark Jewell told WFSU News that he doubts the apartments will keep teachers more than a few years. “Many people want to have a family and children and yards. That’s not giving them an option of really staying long-term,” he says. He thinks the answer is to raise teachers’ salaries.
Why? Schools have a business problem: recruitment and retention of teachers. Creative thinking may help officials come up with solutions—like providing affordable housing.
Pray for those struggling to find homes for themselves and their families.
