TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

School Board Studies Housing

ADVERTISEMENT

By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School District may plunge into the housing business by teaming with a private company to build affordable housing that would be made available to school employees.

The school board plans to hold a workshop at 3 p.m. Nov. 20 to discuss the issue.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said Tuesday that housing costs in Pasco have priced many school employees out of the market, making recruiting difficult.

She said the district has property near Marlowe Elementary in New Port Richey where about 40 town houses could be built.

Fiorentino said she is in discussions with a private company that the district would work with on the project. That company might also be able to provide the district with land for a similar project on the county's east side, she said.

Board members appeared receptive to the idea.

"I'm excited we are looking into that," board member Kathryn Starkey said.

Still, there was some caution on the board.

Fiorentino initially told board members she would bring information to them at their next regular meeting, which is 6 p.m. Nov. 20.

Board member Frank Parker suggested the workshop to explore the concept in greater depth prior to the meeting, saying the plan is a "complicated issue." Fiorentino agreed.

The housing would be used to lure employees to Pasco County, Fiorentino said.

"This is a win-win for the district," she said.

The proposal and the affordable housing problem aren't unique to Pasco.

Other school districts in Florida and throughout the country have taken it upon themselves to build housing for teachers or to provide assistance with home loans because salaries aren't in line with the cost of housing.

For example, the school district in San Jose, Calif., offers teachers loans of up to $65,000 that do not have to be repaid for 30 years or until the house is sold, according to an article published last year in Education Week, a trade publication.

The Associated Press reported last month on a 234-unit housing project in New York being developed specifically for educators. That project is backed with $28 million from the New York City Teachers' Retirement System.

In 2006, then-Gov. Jeb Bush signed an affordable housing bill that included $50 million to help middle-income workers such as teachers, nurses and police officers find housing in communities where they work.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT