LAUSD launches effort to provide affordable housing to teachers, staff

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced a new effort to provide affordable housing to teachers, staff and families. 

The idea is to allow them to live in the communities they serve.

"Affordable housing will help schools attract and retain the next generation of teachers and school staff. Los Angeles Unified is the largest landowner in the greater Los Angeles area and is committed to using all of its assets to benefit the communities it serves," Superintendent Austin Beutner said.

Beutner says high housing costs and long commutes are keeping people from working in public education. 

LA Unified previously worked with affordable-housing developers to build three projects where district employees receive priority in leasing the units. Sage Park Apartment was developed on an underutilized part of the Gardena High School campus and Selma Community Housing and Norwood Learning Village were built on parking lots near the elementary schools for which they are named.

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Details and locations on the proposed projects were not released. 

"Housing is a critical issue that impacts our employees and students alike," Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said. "Affordable housing is the building block of stable communities, so it is important to work with our local and state partners to explore all possible solutions."

"It would be liberating to not have the majority of my pay go toward rent," said Vista Middle School math teacher Christopher Bonnell.