Daily Real Estate News  |  October 12, 2007  |   School District Recruits Teachers With Cheap Housing
An innovative school district in Santa Clara, Calif., has solved its teacher recruiting problems by building low-cost apartments on surplus school property.

The district currently has 40 units that rent for $635 a month for a one bedroom and $990 for a two bedroom. Rents are enough to recover the costs of construction and continue to cover maintenance. Forty more units are under construction.

Paul Perotti, former superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District, oversees the project, which so far has cost $5.6 million, none of it public money.

Teachers new to the district can live at Casa del Maestro, which means "Home of the Teacher," for five years, then they must move, ensuring turnover. There are about 1,000 teachers in the district.

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, Sam Whiting (10/23/2007)