One of California’s largest school districts is studying a proposal to build more than 1,000 affordable housing units for its employees as a means of boosting employee retention.
WCYB.com reported the San Diego Unified Board of Education discussed the proposal during a workshop last week. The school district currently has some income-restricted housing options to families of its employees, with 53 living in a development roughly 16 miles from the district’s headquarters.
The new proposal stressed there was a “clear” need for more affordable housing. A recent survey of 2,372 school district staff members found nearly 70% of respondents stating they have a low to moderate household income level. In this district, “lower-income” is considered as up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while “moderate-income” is 80% to 120%. The AMI for San Diego County is $119,500 and a May 2023 study published by the National Council on Teacher Quality determined the average cost to rent a one-bedroom home in San Diego was equal to 41% of a “beginning” local teacher’s salary.
If approved, the new housing would be built on five properties owned by the San Diego Unified that are located within 10 miles of the district’s headquarters. The proposal also envisioned affordable housing options being made available to 10% of San Diego Unified staff within 10 years.
