Quick Take
As workforce housing rises to the fore in the area’s affordability crisis, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board considered the purchase of housing in a closed session Wednesday. It could join the Santa Cruz City Schools district, which is moving to build such housing, and the Live Oak School District, which is in the early stages of planning.
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As Santa Cruz City Schools embarks on its workforce housing project over the next several years, Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials are inching closer to starting theirs.
The school board discussed a potential “real estate transaction” for workforce housing during a closed session Wednesday, before its regular board meeting, according to the agenda. The closed session was not open to the public.
After the meeting, PVUSD spokesperson Alicia Jimenez told Lookout the district won’t provide more information on the agenda item until it is brought to a meeting’s open session. The board makes closed-session items public if the board takes action related to the item during the closed session.
With school districts reporting turnover rates of 30% for teachers in recent years — often losing teachers to higher-paying jobs in neighboring counties — district officials have raised salaries but continue searching for ways to keep their teachers.
Santa Cruz City Schools, and more recently Live Oak School District, hope building housing for their staff will improve those rates.
Santa Cruz City Schools is moving ahead on building 80 units district staff can rent at 60 to 70% of market rent and estimates they’ll be moving in within three to four years. Live Oak School District is in much earlier stages of planning.
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FOR THE RECORD: This story was updated with additional information from PVUSD officials.
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