Laying the Foundation for Teacher Housing

California has one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S., but the salaries for teachers have not been high enough to pay for the corresponding cost of living. Thus, several attempts have been made to tackle this issue. One of the most notable examples is Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD), located in Silicon Valley, creating a groundbreaking plan called “Laying the Foundation.” This plan aims to provide affordable housing for school staff in the district. Most recently, they posted a video on Vimeo in September 2023 showcasing the plan’s progress on 123 studio nits as well as one and two-bedroom apartments. This initiative would address the issue of expensive housing prices that has contributed to the loss of teachers. 

The average monthly rent of an apartment in California is $2,541 while the average rent across the U.S. is $1,702, making it the third highest average in the nation (RentCafe). Despite having housing prices that far exceed the country’s average, the salary of teachers in California is relatively low. This is especially apparent in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD), where the average salary for teachers in 2022-23 was $67,859 to $76,697, meaning the cost of rent alone would consume nearly half of their yearly salary. Due to the housing market in California, many of its residents have departed the state in recent years (Calmatters). This trend, also known as the California exodus, has negatively affected school districts as retaining and attracting educators has been a major issue. Many teachers, especially young ones, struggle to pay for the inflated housing prices with their conversely low wages, resulting in them leaving or not entering the district at all. World History and Advanced Placement European History teacher Donald Frazier, with experience teaching in other states, feels these reasons make it nearly impossible for young teachers to start their careers, especially in California.

“It would be nice to match the real estate market to the teachers’ salaries, [given] how expensive it is to live in the area,” Frazier said. “25 to 30-year-olds would not be able to afford to buy a house here. I bought [a] house in Vermont [when I was 26 years old]. I could live in the same town that I taught in Vermont, but I could not do it [in California].” 

In order to take action, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Oct. 4, 2022 which would allow construction of houses specifically for educators. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, this bill will allow housing for teachers to be built anywhere within school property without any zoning change request from the city (EdSource). MVWSD has partnered up with the city and Miramar Property Group, a real estate business. Through this partnership, the district plans to raise $122 million to build 144 units, 127 of which will be reserved for teachers (Fox News). $88 million of the funds will be attained through Measure T, a bond passed in 2020 that provided MVWSD with financing that would allow them to sponsor any projects to improve the district. English 4 and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition teacher Tim Coleman, who is also the president of Palos Verdes Faculty Association (PVFA), would love to see PVPUSD do something similar.

“The district has in the past talked about potentially having teacher housing within Palos Verdes,” Coleman said. “Any attempt to get housing for teachers, especially for young teachers, is still something we would love to see and endorse. I think that would be a great use of our surplus school sites [with no current facilities].”

While such a plan can certainly address part of the problem, many teachers argue that the root of the problem lies in the wages that do not match the high housing prices. On July 25, 2023, negotiations between the PVFA and the school district improved the situation for the teachers as it tentatively increased the income of teachers by 10% (Daily Breeze). Despite significant improvements, PVPUSD teachers still appear to earn less than staff in nearby districts, such as the Long Beach Unified and Redondo Beach Unified School Districts. Faculty will likely continue advocating for more competitive salaries and medical benefits. PVFA member and English 2 Honors teacher Rebecka Dibble believes that while this negotiation has addressed the issue slightly, many teachers in the area are still struggling to combat the cost of living.

“We recently renegotiated our contract for better wages,” Dibble said. “[The situation has improved], but it could still be better. Unfortunately, as the cost of living continues to go up nationwide, this means we are spending more money on basic goods and services, so the net gain for us is less. In terms of living conditions, teachers are feeling the stress of higher rents and more expensive housing, especially in our area. As a result, some of our teachers cannot afford to live in the South Bay, so they must commute to school from their homes 30 minutes to 1 hour away. Teachers make a lot less than we should for the work we put in. It has gotten better, but it is still [a] very challenging [situation].”