Four years ago, nearly one-third of teachers could afford to buy a home near their schools. Fast forward to 2023 and you’ll find that this is simply not the case. But why?
A new report published by Redfin, a real estate company, reveals just how hard it is for teachers to be able to live relatively close to their own schools, which is a major quality-of-life factor on which many educators miss out. As of 2019, the average teacher could afford 30 out of every 100 homes for sale within commuting distance. As of July 2023, only 12 out of every 100 homes are affordable to teachers.
One of the more obvious contributors to this is the fact that teacher salaries aren’t keeping up with inflation. For instance, recent research from the National Education Association found that while the average public school teacher salary rose by 2% in 2021-22, teachers are actually making more than $3,600 less than they were a decade ago when adjusted for inflation.
“There is a perfect storm brewing in public schools,” said NEA President Becky Pringle.
The NEA’s findings mirror those uncovered by Redfin, but their research suggests that some educators, depending where they live, have it worse than others.
According to the data, California is the least affordable place for teachers looking to buy a home. And in some areas, it’s impossible for a teacher to rely on their income alone to afford to live in that city. In San Jose and San Diego, the researchers found that teachers can afford 0% of the homes for sale within commuting distance of their schools.
“As teacher salaries stagnate, housing prices continue to climb—a confluence of events that has forced many educators to drop out of the field, fueling a dire teacher shortage in some areas,” the report reads. “The typical homebuyer’s monthly mortgage payment is up nearly 20% from a year ago as a shortage of homes for sale props up home prices. Rent prices are also inching back toward their record high.”
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Knowing this, district leaders in several areas have implemented initiatives to help support teachers looking to buy a home within the district. In a recent interview with District Administration, Nick Cassidy, superintendent of Holland Public Schools in Michigan, spoke about the district’s “Teachers Live Here” program, which provides eligible teachers with $25,000 in down payment assistance as long as the teacher commits to at least five years of teaching within the district.
“It’s been such a blessing for us,” Cassidy told us.
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In Alpine, California, the Alpine Union School District has become the first in the county to provide affordable housing for teachers, ABC 10News San Diego reports.
“We believe in taking care of our staff as much as possible and wanted to be on the forefront of doing that,” said Superintendent Rich Newman. “The end result is we’ll recruit and retain the very best teachers here in Alpine.”
Several state laws enacted over the past few years have made it easier for districts to offer housing to teachers, in addition to a San Diego Unified bong measure that provides housing relief for teachers.
For instance, one newly arrived teacher recently moved into a furnished three-bedroom home in Alpine, just feet from the elementary school where she’ll be teaching, according to ABC 10News San Diego. The district spent more than $30,000 renovating the home.
“We feel super lucky that we have this opportunity,” the teacher said.
Newman said the district has more projects in store, including adding accessory dwelling units on the district’s previous office site.
