Employee Housing

Why do we need employee housing?

While San José Unified employees receive salaries and benefits competitive with many other area districts, public education in California is inadequately and inequitably funded. Several neighboring districts have considerably more money to devote to employee compensation than San José Unified has and the high cost of living in the Bay Area is an impediment to continuing to attract and retain the high-quality teachers and staff who make San José Unified schools great. San José Unified’s ability to provide low-cost rental housing will provide more opportunities for employees to live within the community.

What planning has San José Unified done for employee housing?

At the direction of the Board of Education, San José Unified began exploring employee housing possibilities six years ago, in 2018. In 2019, working with land use professionals, San José Unified identified four properties that had the best potential to most quickly yield employee housing while optimizing for community benefit. San José Unified then hired an external firm, Education Housing Partners, to complete an employee housing assessment. This report was completed in June 2020. However, the planning process was put on hold due to the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where will the housing be built?

The four properties San José Unified has been considering are:

Property	Current Use	Key Features
855 Lenzen Avenue San José, CA 95126	Parking for San José Unified District Offices	No student population adjacent to multi-family residential near regional transportation current use can be replaced adjacent to general plan urban village designation
1088 Broadway San José, CA 95125	River Glen K-8 School	magnet school with no attendance boundary of its own adjacent to existing residential adjacent to commercial and shopping district
1325 Bouret Drive San José, CA 95118	Second Start-Pine Hill Non-Public School	non-public school with no attendance boundary of its own near express and local transit adjacent to multi-family residential adjacent to general plan urban village designation
760 Hillsdale Avenue and 705-745 Capital Expressway San José, CA 95136	MetroED as well as Commercial Uses	available acreage with no student uses adjacent to public transportation near commercial shopping district near multi-family residential within general plan urban village designation higher density and building heights possible

 

How much of the potential Measure R funds would be used for housing?

The employee housing assessment included estimated budgets for each property. Because the properties are different sizes and could accommodate different numbers of units, the updated estimated budgets range from $75 million to $283 million. San José Unified’s current plan is to develop one of the four properties.

How will the final site for employee housing be chosen?

San José Unified will work closely with the City of San José, its employee groups, and community and educational partners to identify the most appropriate site.

Who will be eligible to live in the employee housing?

No decisions have been made yet regarding the specifics of housing occupancy, including who is eligible, how long a tenant can stay, etc. San José Unified will collaborate with its employee groups and housing experts to develop a plan to present to the Board of Education once a final site for housing has been identified.

How can I share my thoughts or learn more?

Planning for the future is a community-wide endeavor. If you have questions about employee housing, or input that you would like to share, please email us at housing@sjusd.org.