BYERS, Colo. — A new study is shining a light on just how hard it is for Colorado educators to afford to live where they teach.
The Keystone Policy Center, a nonprofit organization that researches possible solutions to policy challenges, recently conducted a survey of 3,200 teachers in 10 school districts across Colorado.
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"We found, regardless of where they are, that housing is a huge challenge for them if they don't already own a house," explained Van Schoales, senior policy director at Keystone Policy Center. "You need to have great teachers that are well-trained, committed and live hopefully near the school and know the community."
In some districts, the study found more than half of educators spent 40% of their income on housing while 58% said they would be interested in district-provided affordable housing.
"It was an interesting question to ask teachers how would they feel if their employer was also their landlord — how did people feel?" asked Denver 7's Danielle Kreutter.
"This was a huge surprise for me," Schoales answered. "I expected that most people would say, 'Well, I'm not so comfortable with this.' And in fact, we found that 70% of those surveyed said they were fine with it, and I think that speaks to what a challenge it is."
Some Colorado school districts are finding out that it just might be necessary to offer housing for their staff. As Denver7 highlighted earlier this month, Denver Public Schools has even offered a housing lottery for teachers, with the promise of free rent for a year.
About 40 miles east of Denver, in Byers, teachers are facing the same struggles. But after a school district consolidation in the 1960s, the Byers School District had a bold idea for how to use the funds.
"We have 10 apartments ranging from one-bedroom apartments up to three-bedroom apartments. Then we have two houses," Tom Turrell, superintendent of Byers School District, explained about the affordable workforce housing.
He said hundreds of teachers have benefited over the years from this option.
Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, depending on how long an employee has been with the district, can be as low as $200 a month. The price has stayed the same for decades.
"The goal is to get their feet underneath them and then have enough for a down payment to stay in the community and purchase their own home. I mean, that's ultimately the goal. And many, many staff members have done that," Turrell said.
This is an investment into Byers' future, he said. And it allows teachers like Nathan Phipps to be a part of their students' community.
Phipps is a high school social studies teacher in the Byers School District and moved to Colorado from out of state.
"Coming straight out of college, there was very limited options when it came to housing, even renting on a teacher's salary," he told Denver7. "It makes a huge difference. You see what your students are going through, who they are. I mean, the amount of times that kids ride through here on a dirt bike or on a bicycle and say, 'Hi, Mr. Phipps, how's it going?' and I'm sitting out on the front porch — I think has really helped build relationships."
Denver7 asked Turrell how the school district makes money from the housing units and he said it is "not a money-making venture for us," and instead is all about retaining teachers.
He explained the properties are already paid for, and the affordable rents cover the utility bills.
If other districts have the resources to consider this option, or something similar, as a solution, they definitely should, he said.
"I don't think you pass up the opportunity and if you wait until tomorrow, you're kicking the can down the road, and the need is now," he said.
