Rising rents have some school districts thinking outside of the box to retain and hire teachers, including asking parents to let one move in.
The Milpitas School District in California sent a message to parents this week, asking if they would be willing to have a teacher move in, and asking them to fill out an online form if they would be willing to do so, The Washington Post reported.
The form asks for information such as how many rooms are available, the rent that would be asked, and any preferences (i.e. non-smoker, no pets, female only).
The district told KTVU that at the end of the 2022 school year, it had lost seven teachers who had chosen to move to more affordable communities.
“We’ve lost out on some employees that we tried to recruit because once they see how much it costs to live here, they determine that it’s just not possible,” Milpitas Unified School District Superintendent Cheryl Jordan told KNTV.
In an email to The Washington Post, a district spokesperson said that it had already received 53 responses to its call for spaces to rent.
The Jefferson Union High School District worked to address the housing issue in a different way, building an apartment complex on its property.
The 122-unit complex was approved by voters and built for teachers and staff, offering rents at approximately half their market value, CBS News reported.
“If I hadn’t gotten housing, it would have been really challenging for me to make ends meet,” Michaela Ott, a biology teacher in the district, told CBS News. “Being able to live in a place where I feel like I can recharge … I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
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