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Martinez Unified chosen for CSBA workforce-housing cohort as district explores staff housing
Summary
Superintendent Helen Rossi told the board Martinez Unified was selected for a CSBA cohort to help districts explore workforce housing; the board previously passed a resolution directing exploration and the cohort begins in January with three site visits.
The Martinez Unified School District will participate in a California School Boards Association (CSBA) cohort to explore workforce housing options for district employees, Superintendent Helen Rossi told the board at its Nov. 4 meeting.
The board in September passed Resolution 2025-2 directing the superintendent to explore workforce-housing opportunities to help recruit and retain teachers and staff. Rossi said she applied for the CSBA workshop/capacity-building cohort, which provides participating districts with pro-bono guidance, design support and expert connections. She said Martinez Unified was a finalist and then was chosen as one of the small number of districts in the next cohort, which Rossi said begins in January and includes three full-day meetings on the sites of completed workforce-housing projects.
Rossi and district partners participated in the application interview. She named Andy Cannon and John Navarro of Cummings Group (construction/management) as participants in the interview. Rossi listed examples of districts that have completed workforce-housing projects and that hosted cohort sessions in prior cycles, including Los Angeles Unified and Santa Clara Unified; she said cohort graduates in prior years included districts that completed projects in places such as Daly City and Salinas.
Rossi said workforce housing can be built on underused district-owned land and leased to employees below market rate, which other districts report helps with staff retention and recruitment. The board asked for follow-up updates as the cohort work proceeds.
No funding or specific sites were approved at the Nov. 4 meeting; the board's action in September was a directive to explore options and Rossi described the next step of cohort participation and information-gathering.
