Lawmakers in the California Senate and the Assembly, both chambers of state government, have proposed ways to help educators obtain affordable housing, according to media releases emailed to EdSource.
Senator Jesse Arreguín introduced Senate Bill 502 to help fund the predevelopment costs of workforce housing projects that some school districts are establishing, a California Department of Education media release said. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is sponsoring the proposed senate bill that he said will build over two million affordable housing units.
Thurmond said: "California's housing crisis is driving talented educators and school staff away from the communities that need them most."
In the California Assembly, Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Al Muratsuchi proposed legislation to streamline the process for school districts and county education offices to dedicate school property to workforce housing projects, according to a media release from the California School Boards Association.
The school board association, cityLAB-UCLA and TRiO Plus are sponsoring the proposed legislation that will presumably improve housing affordability and reduce teacher and staff turnover. According to the release, every county in California has school-owned land suitable for workforce housing.
Legislators in both the Senate and Assembly shared a similar sentiment: California's lack of affordable housing threatens the quality of TK-12 education.
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