SAN DIEGO (CITC) — One of the largest school districts in California is considering building over 1,000 affordable housing units for its employees in hopes of boosting retention.
The San Diego Unified Board of Education discussed the proposal during a Tuesday workshop. The San Diego Unified School District already offers some income-restricted housing options to families of district employees, with 53 currently living in a development roughly 16 miles from the district’s headquarters, according to a presentation given by district officials.
The presentation argued there is a “clear” need for more district-provided housing, pointing to results from a recent survey of 2,372 staff members.
Nearly 70% of respondents of the survey indicated they have a low to moderate household income level, according to the presentation. District officials noted in the presentation “lower-income” is considered as up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while “moderate-income” is 80% to 120%.
The AMI level for San Diego County is $119,500, a review conducted by Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) found.
San Diego Unified officials said in the presentation the majority of staff respondents are “burdened” by housing costs and are interested in district-provided housing.
The plan, if approved, would allow for 1,006 affordable housing units to be built on five San Diego Unified-owned properties. The properties are each located within 10 miles of the district’s headquarters, a review by CITC found.
The proposed plan also includes a goal of affordable housing options being made available to 10% of San Diego Unified staff within 10 years. The district hopes providing more options will lead to, among other things, improved academic performance and strong employee recruitment and retention.
The school board’s consideration of the plan comes as the San Diego Education Association (SDEA) has fought for housing supports for both educators and students. When asked to comment on the proposal, SDEA President Kyle Weinberg told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) his teachers union is “committed to finding creative solutions” to address housing needs, noting housing costs in the San Diego area “affect everyone in our community.”
“Earlier this year, SDEA successfully negotiated an agreement with San Diego Unified to provide critical student housing supports, including safe parking sites and resources for unhoused and housing-insecure students and families, and the use of local bond funds for workforce housing,” Weinberg said. “This week SDEA members are voting on our next bargaining platform, which also includes improving access to housing and other resources beyond the school day.”
These are urgent needs in our community, and we can’t wait,” he added.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 signed legislation allowing school districts to use low-income housing tax credits to build affordable housing options for employees on district-owned property. The law also notes that local governments can work with school districts to produce the affordable options.
Assemblymember Jessie Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, the author of the legislation, said in a press release at the time it was “shameful” that some teachers were forced to “work second jobs or spend four hours a day commuting just to afford rent.”
“We must do more to address California’s affordable housing crisis, particularly for those who have committed themselves to educating our kids and protecting our communities,” Assemblymember Gabriel said.
A May 2023 report by the National Council on Teacher Quality found that the average cost to rent a one-bedroom home in San Diego is equal to 41% of a “beginning” local teacher’s salary.
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