Paving the way for high-quality education workforce housing
CSBA offers school boards new resources to support members in their efforts to develop employee housing
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 30, 2024) – The passage of Assembly Bill 2295 — California School Boards Association (CSBA) co-sponsored legislation aimed at addressing teacher shortages and a lack of affordable housing throughout the state — carved out a clear path for districts and county offices of education to build employee housing on their land, but the work hasn’t come without challenges.
To help local educational agencies (LEAs) navigate the process of building education workforce housing (EWH) from beginning to end, CSBA has created a resource library that includes a wide range of resources to help educate board members and move projects forward, such as recordings and presentations from previous workshops, fact sheets on all EWH sites in the state, sample board resolutions and Requests for Proposals from LEAs that have successfully built workforce housing, and much more.
It also includes a first-of-its-kind interactive map of all workforce housing projects in California which shows the large and growing pipeline of interest in EWH across the state. Users can see where projects have been completed, are under construction, in progress and under discussion.
“Everyone working in support of student learning and well-being, from classified staff to faculty, plays an essential role in our efforts to ensure all children receive the care and attention they need to thrive. California LEAs that have built employee housing report huge improvements in staff retention and recruitment of new teachers, along with so many other benefits,” said CSBA President Albert Gonzalez. “With AB 2295 now in effect, there is a path for school districts and county offices of education to build high-quality affordable homes for their employees on land they already own. For many education officials, the only remaining barrier is knowledge.”
To that end, CSBA also convenes an annual cohort of LEAs to participate in a free, intensive workshop series designed to prepare them to propose a project. Additionally, anyone ready to work with an expert in EWH can sign up for a free consultation with Property Planning Solutions, a partnership between CSBA and real estate advisory firm DCG Strategies.
In addition to providing employees with a place to live at an affordable price point, workforce housing has been associated with employees feeling a closer connection with the local community, increasing teacher retention and allowing teachers more time to dedicate to after-school activities as a result of reduced commute times. EWH also provides a shared space for employees to foster social connections, support and professional development.
According to Education Workforce Housing in California: Developing the 21st-Century Campus — a 2021 report in which CSBA collaborated with cityLAB at the University of California, Los Angeles; the Center for Cities + Schools and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley; and the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation — California school districts own 75,000 acres of developable land of one acre or more. A majority of these properties are located where entry-level teachers and many classified employees face severe housing affordability challenges.
Learn more about the history and benefits of education workforce housing and more by visiting csba.pub/EWH.
CSBA is a nonprofit association representing nearly 1,000 PreK-12 school districts
and county offices of education throughout California.
www.csba.org