https://www.marinij.com/2025/03/18/marin-ij-readers-forum-for-march-19-2025/
Recent news about a proposal to have school districts and the county be on the hook to “pay up” if not enough educators and county employees rent in an affordable workforce housing apartment complex is causing a stir on the IJ Opinion page.
IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood pointed out the financial risk to districts if they enter into a joint-powers agreement (“School districts should approach housing plan with caution, March 5). Wall Street experts won’t take the risk, and Spotswood said calling this an opportunity is “far-fetched.”
In her Marin Voice commentary, Mary Stompe, former executive director of PEP Housing, objected to districts, already struggling with financial uncertainties, being pressured into an agreement with a shot clock (“Don’t ask school districts to guarantee rent shortfalls for educator housing,” March 6).
In contrast, Amy Skewes-Cox, who is on the board of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative, used her Marin Voice commentary (“Move forward with educator housing at Oak Hill,” March 6) to simply focus on the need for affordable housing. That’s short-sighted.
Take warning from nearby Mountain View Whisman School District, which invested in teacher housing. According to reports, only 14 of 123 units are occupied. Instead of focusing on how to increase compensation so teachers can afford rent, that board is considering free rent for one or two months to attract tenants. The district wants to avoid being on the hook for a $1.9-million annual ground lease for the next 55 years.
To her credit, Skewes-Cox gets to the crux of the housing matter. Teachers are underpaid. What’s “affordable” depends on how much money a person has. Teachers, retail workers and service employees all need better compensation.
Rather than going “off mission” to dabble in risky real estate ventures, districts should focus on economic lessons in the classroom and the board room.
— Susan Kirsch, Mill Valley