Photo courtesy of Jefferson Union High School District
Photo courtesy of Jefferson Union High School DistrictNewly signed legislation loosening zoning requirements will soon make it easier for California school districts to build affordable housing for their teachers and other staff.
It is the latest in a series of bills passed by lawmakers over the last seven years to remove hurdles around building teacher housing. The new legislation, part of a suite of 41 housing bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, will allow staff housing to be built on any property owned by a school district without requiring the district to request zoning changes from city or county officials.
It will be in effect from Jan. 1, 2024 to Jan. 1, 2033.
“Teachers and staff are leaving because the skyrocketing cost of living and stagnant salaries make it almost impossible to afford living in the communities where they teach,” said Assemblyman Richard Bloom, the author of the legislation. “We are hemorrhaging talented teachers, which ultimately negatively impacts the quality of a public education for our kids. We can do better. AB 2295 gives school districts an essential tool in addressing staffing challenges by utilizing properties they already own.”
A 2021 joint study by the Center for Cities and Schools and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, and CityLab at UCLA found that the state’s school districts own more than 150,000 acres of land and that 75,000 acres could be developed into affordable housing. At 30 units per acre there could be 2.3 million units of housing, according to the report.
There are workforce housing developments in Santa Clara, Los Angeles and Daly City, but more than 40 other districts are considering similar projects, according to the report.
The added flexibility comes with restrictions. The project must have at least 10 housing units and be on a vacant parcel in an area that is already largely developed. It also must be adjacent to a parcel zoned residential.
These housing projects also will be exempt from some federal and state requirements governing the construction and sale of school property, although local building requirements and design standards will still apply as long as they don’t conflict with the housing density and 30-foot height permitted by the bill.
The law is meant to keep city and county governments from putting up roadblocks to new projects by adding restrictions over and above the standard zoning, said Troy Flint, spokesman for the California School Boards Association, which co-sponsored the legislation. The bill was signed by Newsom Wednesday.
“I am thrilled that Gov. Newsom has signed AB 2295 and demonstrated his support for education workforce housing,” said Vernon M. Billy, executive director of CSBA. “Our members across the state have expressed a strong and growing interest in creative efforts to address the teacher shortage.”
High rent and house prices have long made it difficult for teachers, especially those at the bottom of the pay scale, to find affordable homes. Even teachers earning average or the highest salaries faced struggles paying the rent, especially in the high-cost coastal and metro areas, according to a 2019 EdSource analysis of the issue.
To address this problem, the bill requires that a majority of the units on the property be affordable to tenants with moderate incomes and at least 30 percent be affordable to lower-income households. Unrented units can be made available to employees of adjacent school districts and then to public employees living within district boundaries.
An Assembly analysis of the bill says moderate incomes are generally no more than 120 percent of the area median income and lower incomes are less than 80 percent of the area median income.
Assembly Bill 2295 is the latest legislation to make it more affordable for teachers to live in California. The Teacher Housing Act of 2016 paved the way for district-provided teacher housing by allowing school districts to provide affordable housing specifically for district employees and their families. Previous state law required that homes or apartments be open to anyone who meets the low-income requirement if they used state and federal low-income housing funds or tax credits.
Assembly Bill 1157, approved by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, exempted school districts from some requirements related to the sale or lease of property if it will be used for employee housing. Districts no longer have had to convene an advisory committee when they want to sell, lease or rent surplus property because of this piece of legislation. The bill also exempts the district from property tax on the complex.
In recent years eight school districts have attempted to pass school bonds or other local propositions to fund housing for school employees. Six passed, according to the Assembly analysis of the bill.
Districts see offering housing as a way to give them a competitive edge when competing for teachers and other staff.
“School districts are eager to address these issues by converting unused or underutilized property to affordable housing for school staff but are slowed or stymied by current regulations,” according to a statement from the California School Boards Association. “Under existing law, development of surplus school property into education workforce housing can often take seven years to complete. By removing administrative barriers, while still allowing for a robust community engagement process, AB 2295 would shorten that timeline in most cases, making it easier for local educational agencies to build housing on their property.”
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Comments (8)
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Kathy 3 weeks ago3 weeks ago
It sounds like teachers don’t want the housing and see it as offensive. Maybe the health care aides in nursing facilities and hospitals would be interested? Just as important and they work just as hard.
Beverley Pearce 3 months ago3 months ago
I agree with the other teachers who commented here. I am a twenty year teacher as well. The first idea that came to mind was that teachers need more pay for their endless hard work. To house them in district owned property is a terrible idea. They will lose their freedom and be beholden to the school for not only their jobs but also their lives. Shouldn’t they have the opportunity for independence like other professionals?
Andrea U 4 months ago4 months ago
First the schools want to push that capitalism is bad, but then wants the fruit of it working only to push teachers into communist housing?!! We want freedom of choice.
Dr. Bill Conrad 8 months ago8 months ago
Educational leaders have real challenges fulfilling their primary mission of educating the children. Now we want to turn them into real estate brokers?
Pay reachers a living wage and let them choose their own housing.
Pay Certified Master teachers 6-figures!
Enough is enough.
Antonia 8 months ago8 months ago
A much better use of this money would to be to pay teachers a higher wage, provide loan forgiveness for student debt, provide more funding for supplies so teachers aren’t spending their own money, or to provide a down-payment program for teachers. Treat teachers as professionals who are paid at a level comparable to other professions who have Master’s degrees, allow them to make their own choice of where to live and build their own … Read More
A much better use of this money would to be to pay teachers a higher wage, provide loan forgiveness for student debt, provide more funding for supplies so teachers aren’t spending their own money, or to provide a down-payment program for teachers. Treat teachers as professionals who are paid at a level comparable to other professions who have Master’s degrees, allow them to make their own choice of where to live and build their own wealth through homeownership. As a former teacher, I would much rather have those things than employer owned housing. Terrible idea.
Jennifer 8 months ago8 months ago
As a 20-year high school teacher, the real reason we are losing teachers is not housing. California is going farther and farther towards no discipline at all for students. Making blanket statements about cutting suspension rates no matter what, creating a ton of mental health diagnosis’ for not doing work, student apathy and lack of grit and hard work.
James 8 months ago8 months ago
Honestly, as a teacher i find this plan offensive! Ca wants to turn our bosses into are landlords and our co-workers into our neighbors. Give teacher housing vouchers, help us buy condominiums, help us own our dwellings. Don’t put us in situation if we want to change jobs we lose our housing. Let’s call this what it is, the state wants to make money housing teachers rather than paying us what we deserve.
Replies
Beto 8 months ago8 months ago
Why should you get any taxpayer money at all for housing?