LA Unified to propose building affordable housing for teachers

The Los Angeles Unified school board may soon consider a proposal “to begin the process of building affordable housing for school teachers and staff,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said during a Monday morning broadcast.

The project, which is scheduled to be presented to the school board this week, will create 2,000 units of affordable housing. But first, the school district will request $1.5 million in general funds to perform “due diligence activities,” which include performing needs assessments, appraisals of district properties, and identifying housing options.

Beutner cited long commute times and lack of affordable housing in the neighborhoods where L.A. Unified teachers and staff work. He provided a few general examples of L.A. staff with long work commutes: a school administrative assistant whose commute from Perris to Los Angeles can take 2.5 hours one way, a window/wall washer commuting 2.5 hours one way from Riverside to Gardena, and a teacher living in Santa Clarita who commutes 1.5 hours one way to work in Los Angeles.

After performing the due diligence activities, the district anticipates presenting their findings and recommendations to the school board during the first quarter of 2022.