Marin’s housing crisis presents grave challenges to our schools. High housing costs have made it increasingly difficult to retain and recruit teachers and staff. According to a 2022 Marin Promise Partnership report, 43% of Marin school staffers cannot afford a studio apartment anywhere in Marin.

Novato Unified School District reports that its turnover has increased from 3% to 14% over an 11-year period. Teachers between 25 and 34 years old stay on the job for an average of only 1.6 years. School district and county officials across Marin have stated that it can cost as much as $25,000 per year to recruit a replacement.

This is an enormous fiscal and educational challenge. Short teaching tenures are tough on morale and teaching quality. The Marin County Office of Education says it takes five years for teachers to reach a master teaching level, yet we lose many teachers long before then.

The Village at Oak Hill proposal near San Quentin offers a partial solution to this enormous challenge. In 2021, Education Housing Partners was selected for a teacher-workforce housing project for county employees and teachers. The project will provide 135 units of below-market-rate housing.

No other significant projects in Marin are this close to production. Over the past four years, the sponsor completed environmental review, developed designs and obtained the bulk of the funding, including grants and loans from Marin County and the Marin Community Foundation. Teachers and staff could be living there as soon as 2027.

There is one more hurdle to jump. Since this project was originally conceived, interest rates and costs increased significantly. A funding gap has emerged. Marin County created a joint powers authority to manage the project, and it is working on a solution. JPA officials are asking beneficiaries — the county, larger school districts (Novato, San Rafael), MCOE and College of Marin — to credibly commit that they will be able to lease these rooms.

At this point, there are many details to work out. The JPA has been asking beneficiaries if they will make a good-faith evaluation of the final proposal. Working out the details will require significant work. It is wise that the JPA seek counsel before proceeding.

Yet, anti-tax groups have been arguing that this should not even be considered. They argue that schools shouldn’t be in the business of financing affordable housing and that we’d be better off shelving or reworking the project than having school districts take on this risk.

As executive director of the Marin Environmental Housing Coalition, I can say that our group disagrees. The problem Marin faces is not unique. School districts across the state are struggling with high housing costs. The state developed programs to encourage school districts to develop teacher housing. Daly City’s Jefferson Union High School District opened a 122-unit project in 2022 that appears to be working well. The Berkeley Unified School District is about to break ground on a 110-unit project. In these cases, the districts contributed the land and took on the risk of development.

By comparison, our districts and agencies are taking on no upfront risk. They are not committing land or money to determine whether this program is viable. Whatever program is offered will be far less risky than undergoing development themselves — something that both leadership at NUSD and COM have been prepared to do. The agencies, which employ over 6,000 people combined, would only have to contribute funds if the lease rates fall below expectations.

Further, the agencies will directly benefit if this program can be put together. The lower interest rates available through this guarantee result in lower interest expense that will reduce the average rent of each apartment by $400 per month. The success of this project hinges on the ability of the developer to offer apartments at below market rates. The deal helps achieve this important goal.

This is just a first step. The project requires a balanced budget to move forward. The developer is seeking construction bids, which will provide greater clarity on costs. There is more funding needed beyond this financing program. This is an important project for Marin. We should work to make it happen. This financing option merits serious consideration if we truly want to create housing for our teachers and workforce.

Jennifer Silva, of Sausalito, is the executive director of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative.