Lawrence school officials are so worried about dwindling coffers and stagnant teacher pay, they're having a serious conversation about something downright odd: Getting into the housing business.
School board president Rich Minder, who dabbles in co-housing development, tells the Lawrence Journal-World that the best way to attract and retain quality teachers may be to provide them with housing on the cheap -- to literally make teachers spend their entire lives on school-district property, just like you figured they did when you were seven.
It's unclear why teachers would want to have their lives so inextricably linked to their employer. And I'm not sure how the district would solve its budget woes by getting into the speculative real estate game with the specific intent of losing money.
I also wonder if it's necessary. Teachers' salaries are low, to be sure, but in most subjects areas demand for teachers isn't out of control, and those low salaries have rarely deterred college students and mid-career professionals from entering the field.
Yeah, the pay sucks, but as I like to tell my teacher friends in emails sent randomly throughout the year: YOU GET YOUR SUMMERS OFF. I know, it's only like eight weeks. But still.
Anyway, it may sound like the fantasy of a Lawrence hippie, but based on the treatment in LJW, the idea is getting some traction.
[P]aying for housing could come from the district's capital outlaybudget. This year, the district's capital outlay budget includes plans
to spend $12.75 million on construction projects, renovating buildings,
replacing furniture and the like.
In future years, Minder said, the district could consider using someof such money on housing -- whether it's to buy land, build homes and
sell them to new teachers, or to buy an existing apartment complex to be
managed for teachers, who would pay below-market rents.
Such property would go off the public tax rolls, Minder said, and
could provide a real incentive for teachers looking to locate in
Lawrence and stay in Lawrence.
A hundred years ago, he said, it was common for communities to own and maintain "teacherages" for their educators.
"It may be good to go back to some of those old ideals and ideas that
we had, of how we can be creative in supporting our teaching staff,"
Minder said. "It's just another way that the community can support our
teachers."
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"Below-market" rents in Lawrence is a funny concept. It's not a cheap place to buy, but rent is very competitive due to the sheer number of rental units.
And can teachers PLEASE stop complaining about pay? For public schools, pay scales are public information. Unlike the other 90% of college majors, YOU GET TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL GET PAID BEFORE YOU TAKE A SINGLE COURSE TOWARD YOUR DEGREE.
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