DALY CITY, CALIF. – In some of America’s most expensive cities, residents are having to pack up and leave as rent prices rise. Inflation is keepingTeachers are moving to these cities in California like San Francisco, which is fueling the demand for additional staff at a time when schools districts are struggling to hire.
Rent prices in San FranciscoRedfin, a real estate company, reported that the average teacher’s salary has increased by 16% over the past year. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average teacher salary has fallen by 3.2% in the last decade. California has a 3.7% increase in the average teacher’s salary. Still, teachers say it doesn’t help with the rising costs of nearly everything.
Toni Presta, Jefferson Union High School District Superintendent, stated that “the prices here are astronomical.” “We have teachers we want to hire, and they might be from across the country, and they can’t afford to live here,” she explained.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 230,000 fewer educators in the United States now than in 2019.
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The high cost of living is something that even some residents struggle to pay. “It’s difficult to make ends meet with rent, food and other bills you have to pay and still have a life,” Davonte Byrd said.
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Byrd is now employed by the Jefferson Union High Schools District in San Mateo County. Just outside of San Francisco. He couchsurfed for several months before he found a job with a good salary and affordable rent. Redfin shows that San Francisco’s median rent is more than $3750. He’s paying half.
Jefferson Union High school District built an apartment building for district employees on an abandoned parking lot they owned. It was designed to attract and retain new staff.
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To offer affordable housing options while Retaining and recruiting employeesThe Jefferson Union High School District constructed an apartment complex on a vacant lot they owned. Apartments are available at a fraction of the market rate for employees. Voters in the area passed a $30 million bond in 2018 to build the complex. The housing is helping, according to the district leaders.
Presta stated, “We started our school year fully staffed. Most of the neighboring schools districts didn’t begin the year fully staff.”
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Rebecca Jasmin is a resident of the complex and works in health education. She explained that she was couch-surfing until she could find an affordable home in the area.
She said that the rent she was considering was $2,200 per monthly. It was like a matchbox. Jasmin has been out of teaching before due to low pay. She believes that housing makes it more accessible.
Teachers are being forced from the profession by rising rent and inflation costs in big cities like San Francisco.
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“People are able to live here, work here and afford it, and that’s really remarkable in the Bay Area,” Presta said.
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 230,000 fewer people working in education in the United States now than in 2019.
“Low pay, the areas I wanted to be, the housing, it just wasn’t workable,” Jasmin said.
