State Superintendent Thurmond Launches Initiative to Add 2.3 Million New Housing Units by Developing Land Owned by Schools

Superintendent Thurmond’s plan builds upon existing legislation, funding, and research to accelerate the development of 75,000 acres of surplus land owned by local educational agencies.

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today launched a statewide effort to accelerate housing development by utilizing the significant amount of developable land owned by California’s local education agencies (LEAs).

Combined, California LEAs own 75,000 acres of developable land , providing the potential to create an estimated 2.3 million new housing units throughout the state. According to recent data from the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) , the housing gap in California could be addressed by creating 2.5 million new homes over the next eight-year development cycle.

This initiative aims to accelerate the use of existing research by the California School Boards Association (CSBA), UC Berkeley, and UCLA, and the use of funding for educator housing that Superintendent Thurmond previously secured in the state budget.

Progress on educator housing development has moved slowly but steadily across the state, with recent projects that prove the impact of workforce housing development on teacher retention and students’ classroom-level experience. At today’s press conference, Jefferson Union High School District Board Trustee Andy Lie stated that, following the completion of a 122-unit housing project last year, the district opened schools with zero teaching vacancies for the first time in years. Jefferson Union High School District is located in San Mateo County, one of the most competitive rental markets in the state.

“California’s housing crisis is undeniable, but it is not unsolvable,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “We know that families across our state are impacted, from the homelessness crisis facing our urban areas, to the long commute times impacting families priced out of once-affordable neighborhoods, to the staffing crisis in schools whose educators can’t afford to live where they work. I believe that California has enough resources and ingenuity to solve this, and the data shows that California’s schools have the land to make this happen. As school leaders, we can get this done for our communities and restore the California Dream.”

Superintendent Thurmond has helped make state tax credits available for teacher housing, some $500 million of which were approved for educator housing as part of the 2020 state budget. He also has pledged to secure future funding to provide state incentives when local school districts pass bond measures to build housing.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Superintendent Thurmond convened leaders from both Northern and Southern California, including Senator Josh Becker, whose district includes Jefferson Union High School District, and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho of Los Angeles Unified School District. Tristan Brown of the California Federation of Teachers also spoke about the importance of providing housing stability and a path to homeownership for educators.

Andrew Keller of CSBA, Sarah Hinkley of the UC Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools, and Manos Proussaloglou of the UCLA cityLAB shared the research that is the foundation for this initiative.

Superintendent Thurmond and the California Department of Education will formally kick off this housing initiative on August 14 at 10:30 a.m. by hosting a housing summit to bring together district leaders with leaders in the building trades and housing development. This initiative will include sustained technical assistance for LEAs that seek to develop surplus land, as well as further legislative action to accelerate housing development.

To share policy recommendations for the Superintendent’s housing initiative, email Initiatives@cde.ca.gov. To RSVP for the Housing Summit on August 14, please visit bit.ly/HousingSummitAug24 .

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100