Teachers Make 5% Less Than a Decade Ago. These Districts are Building Housing for Them

School districts across the nation are looking for ways to build workforce housing on their properties as part of an effort to attract and retain teachers, whose income often makes it difficult to find affordable housing near their workplaces.

According to a piece by Jeff Kruth and Tammy Schwartz in The Conversation, “California has been at the forefront of these efforts. The state’s school districts own more than 75,000 acres of potentially developable land. Meanwhile, more than one-third of the state’s public school employees are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs.” A 2016 state law creates a framework for developing housing on district-owned land and has been used to build educational housing complexes across the state. 

Educational housing projects vary in financing and scope. Some offer reduced rent while others give school district employees the opportunity to buy homes. Some build new homes, while others have converted former motels and other buildings to workforce housing. “In Baltimore, more than 775 teachers have recently been housed thanks to initiatives such as the Union Mill project, an 86,000-square-foot historic building converted into teacher apartments that range in price from $700 to $1200 per month.”

Educational workforce housing has multiple benefits, putting teachers and staff closer to work and the community they serve. “Ultimately, teachers grounded in the life of the community can build relationships outside of the walls of school that contribute to more trust in the classroom.”