Rural Matters

Housing issues for teachers are a problem for many rural schools. In many communities there's little housing available as rental property, no apartments, and few affordable and livable homes on the sales market. Without a comfortable place to live a new teacher is unlikely to take a job. Or, the teacher will have to commute from another place that has housing, a situation that can add to first-year stress and leave the teacher less connected to the school community--and less likely to remain for the long haul.

Housing shortages for teachers are not a new problem. Historically, some rural schools provided a house of some kind. The arrangement was common enough to have a name: "teacherage" (an apparent appropriation of the term "parsonage," the house often provided the minister by the church). Teacherages were often provided as part of the salary package or rented for a nominal charge.

In Kansas, several rural communities are providing free land to families willing to build a house on the lot. These free land offers are not designed specifically for new teachers, but the idea could be adapted. The program, Kansas Free Land, is described in the April 2007 Rural Policy Matters and you can read more about it at the Kansas Free Land website.

In some communities, students (often in vocational programs or vocational agriculture classes) have built homes and sold them. Sometimes such houses are built as modular units; other times they are built on site. It can be a great learning experience that involves students from several classes and curricula. The houses can stress energy efficiency, feature solar heating/cooling systems, showcase design features, provide floorplan flexibility, and incorporate local materials or architectural styles. Sometimes local artisans will join the effort and contribute things like specialized stone masonry work, decorative wood carving, or fiber art. These kinds of student projects build the community (and sometimes the school's enrollment) and can be very successful, but they require a lot of work, planning, coordination, and leadership.

Houses that are built--or bought--for (or with) new teachers, can be sold to the teacher with a "buy back" or "first refusal" option for the school.

Some schools don't own the housing they make available to teachers, but they work with local residents to find available housing, something brand new teachers may have a hard time doing. Because local rural people are likely to know other residents who own property that is not in use or is unoccupied (information that is unavailable to new or prospective residents, including teachers), the school can go a long way toward helping new teachers find a home and feel welcomed into the community. Sometimes these efforts require a local committee or team to help take pressure off administration and broaden the reach and community's involvement. The team approach also has the advantage of getting more local residents invested in making new teachers feel welcome.