LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner proposes affordable housing plan for employees
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Unified School District is one of the region's major landholders.
On Monday morning, outgoing Superintendent Austin Beutner announced the district is looking to build affordable housing for teachers and staff.
"This critical effort will create 2,000 units of affordable workforce housing, which will help recruit the next generation of teachers and school staff and allow them to live in the community they serve," Beutner said.
According to 2019 research by Zillow, a teacher at a starting salary would spend 85% of their salary on rent in the L.A. metro area, 52% of a mid-career salary and 40% of a veteran teacher salary.
This is not the first time LAUSD will take on a project like this. It launched an initiative that resulted in 185 workforce housing units between 2015 and 2018.
Beutner said this time around, they're looking to create 2,000 units, a much larger undertaking. The units already built in Gardena - depending on income requirements - ranged between $428 and $1,222 for units from 1-3 bedrooms, according to a flyer promoting the vacancies.
Eyewitness News reached out to the union representing LAUSD teachers. UTLA does not have a statement on the proposal at this time.
On Tuesday, the school board will vote on the first step, a proposal requesting $1.5 million in general funds for the district to study its options. If it passes, staff would come back with that research in 2022.
