Trustee presents educational workforce housing idea; board asks staff to run a quick straw poll
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Summary
Board Member Hernandez briefed trustees on CSBA's educational workforce housing program (district-built, below-market units for staff), described governance models and funding options, and asked to survey unions and staff; trustees agreed to a preliminary straw poll approach.
Board Member Hernandez presented a district information item on "educational workforce housing," a CSBA-endorsed model in which school districts use excess land to develop below-market rental units for staff. Hernandez said the model is not low-income housing but a targeted benefit to attract and retain education workers; he highlighted completed California examples and a new state program offering no-interest predevelopment loans to local educational agencies.
Hernandez described governance options that would keep housing operations separate from the school board ('a housing authority or a non-profit foundation') and reviewed funding choices — COPs, revenue bonds, conventional debt, commercial partnerships or sale of surplus property — while cautioning that many options have trade-offs and that public support could be challenging. "This is hard work and it will be slow," Hernandez said, urging a careful, staged approach.
Trustees and staff recommended testing interest with a simple straw poll of union members and current staff before investing in detailed feasibility analyses. District staff said CSBA offered template questions and may assist; the board did not commit to funding the program but gave direction to gather preliminary feedback and report back at the next meeting.