Helping our educators through housing

The Jefferson Union High School District Board of Trustees and superintendent determined that workforce housing could alleviate some of the pressure. The path to breaking ground has not been easy. Board President Andy Lie and I serve on the district Facilities Subcommittee, which oversees construction projects across the district, including workforce housing. Mr. Lie and I were tasked with making recommendations to the Board of Trustees, which was a huge responsibility requiring some tough decisions.

One of the most difficult decisions was determining the number of units to build. Based on the 2017 staff survey, we needed 65 housing units. We anticipated that this need will grow, and recommended that the district build at least 120 units.

Building such a large complex meant that we needed to pass a bond to finance the initial cost. At the same time, we could not wait for the bond to pass to start planning, because the need for housing is so urgent. This meant that we had to take a risk by dedicating time and resources to a 120-unit plan in hopes that we had done enough to educate the community to vote “yes” on the housing bond. It was one of the most difficult decisions I have made as a board member. It was a close vote, and it took two long weeks for the official ballots to be counted.

In June 2018, we became the first school district in the nation to pass a bond measure supporting the development of affordable housing for faculty and staff. The current district office in Daly City is now the site of future homes for more than a hundred faculty and staff. The four-story development will have more than 100 apartments. The first residents may move in as early as fall 2021.

Now, I am quickly trying to learn the language of a land developer because I know those decisions are on the way. As we move closer to the move-in date of fall 2021, we will develop a nonprofit corporation and Housing Board to provide oversight. The Housing Board will develop bylaws to manage details including how apartments will be rented, who will receive priority and how long tenants can stay.

Faculty and staff housing is one part of a multi-pronged approach to retain our faculty and staff. Some people feel that we should put money directly into salary increases rather than investing in housing. We are hoping to do both. Building workforce housing is more attainable at this moment because the district has the unique advantage of owning surplus land. Construction can be funded by using bond money, while salary increases require either a funding increase from the state of California, or an increase in local taxes. As you can imagine, it is much easier to pass a bond for construction than a property tax increase. Of course, our board understands that workforce housing is not the total solution to our district's employee retention woes. However, affordable housing is one piece of the puzzle.

Kalimah Salahuddin is a member of the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Trustees and is in the seventh year of her second term. In 2014, Kalimah was elected as a member of the California School Boards Association’s Delegate Assembly to represent her board and region, serves as president for the San Mateo County School Boards Association and was also a board member for Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco where she has been a regular volunteer for 11 years. She is an executive coordinator at Exelixis Pharmaceutical and is a single mother to three wonderful young adults.