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posted ago by Christine_grab ago by Christine_grab +142 / -0

Article: https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/08/affordable-housing/

Choice quotes from the article:

"...California officials are pushing school districts to convert their surplus property into housing for teachers, school staff and even students and families. Some districts have already started; now the state wants every district to become a landlord."

"If Proposition 2, a $10 billion school facilities bond, passes this fall, schools could use that money to not only repair classrooms and other structures, but build teacher housing. "

"The model state officials often point to is 705 Serramonte in Daly City. The Jefferson Union High School District opened the 122-unit apartment complex in 2022, and it now houses a quarter of the district staff... The district paid for the $75 million project by passing a $33 million bond specifically for teacher housing, and borrowed the rest... Teachers commute(d) from the East Bay and beyond, and the district grappled with a persistent 25% staff turnover rate annually, said district spokesperson Denise Shreve... Since 705 Serramonte opened, the district has had near zero turnover...“We call it ‘adult dorms.’

"A better solution, she said, would be for housing to be left to regional authorities and for the state to fund school districts sufficiently to pay their teachers more."