Hays CISD to provide affordable housing in effort to retain, recruit staff

The 362-home community, currently unnamed, will be located near Uhland Elementary School. With more than 600 employees on the waitlist, HCISD is working to develop a system to determine who will be selected to live in the community. Dwellings will range from one-bedroom cottages to four-bedroom homes.

• A pool and sundeck
• A sports lounge
• A private event space
• A children’s playground
• Outdoor sports fields
• A dog park
• Nature paths
• Pickleball courts
• Pocket parks
• Commercial spaces

“For many of us who haven't gotten a pay raise in a few years, our money just doesn't go as far as it did a few years ago,” Courson said. “Our board is passionate about that and has been strategic in making sure that we are the leaders in compensation in the region. But it's still not quite enough.”

About the developer

Upward Communities is a "mission-driven community developer [that] partners with school districts, cities, counties and mission-aligned nonprofit organizations to deliver long-term essential housing for the people who keep our communities running,” according to the website.

“It’s exciting for us to tackle such a large problem,” Upward Communities CEO Jason Roberts said.

The details

District officials have been calling the housing initiative the Hays Homes program. The planning and construction to support the Hays Homes program will come at zero cost to the district, according to Courson. HCISD already owns the land on which the community will be built, north of Uhland Elementary, which Courson said wasn’t suitable for a campus. The community’s location on the eastern side of the district boundaries will help Courson recruit staff for that area.

“If you look at the maps, you see all of the growth going towards the east side,” Courson said. “Interestingly, that’s the side that’s hardest for me to recruit for ... how wonderful would it be to have this community that’s uniquely built for our school district employees, and it’s right there.”

The need

Part of the push for the Hays Homes program stems from the growing number of teachers leaving the field to enter the corporate sector, according to Courson.

“We’ve seen high numbers of teachers exiting the field of education,” Courson said. “We’re bleeding out veteran teachers.”

Statewide, teacher retention dropped from about 90% with first-year teachers to approximately 56% among fifth-year teachers who started in 2020-21, according to the Texas Education Agency. Attrition rates have risen from 10.34% to 12.08% over the past 10 years, reaching as high as 13.45% in 2022-23.

“We’re actually giving the district a tool to now, not compete against other school districts, but to compete against other professions,” Roberts said.

The history

In 2023, HCISD partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission to provide incentivized apartment rentals for public employees, Courson said. The district was able to secure about 50 units in apartment buildings in Kyle at a lower rate for HCISD staff.

Due to the popularity of the program, HCISD officials met with Upward Communities to discuss another housing opportunity for employees.

“By taking care of our staff, they're taking care of our students,” Courson said. “If we don't do something like this, I don't know how we will have a staff to support the growth that's coming, then to maintain the quality of education that we provide right now.”

HCISD approved the master lease agreement with Upward Communities in January 2025, after receiving a preliminary presentation in December.

“Hays [CISD] was our first group to take the leadership plunge ... and commit to this,” Roberts said.

Since then, Lockhart ISD “immediately” jumped on the opportunity to build a similar community.

“The reason why any of this is possible at all is that we have a school board that is deeply committed to being what they call an unrivaled employee-friendly district,” Courson said. “And I think it’s because of this true belief and number one priority of taking care of people that it felt very natural for our board to take the risk.”

Looking ahead

Upward Communities and HCISD will hold a groundbreaking ceremony later this summer. Homes will be move-in ready in 2027 or 2028, according to Roberts.

If the first phase is successful and there is a demand for it, Upward Communities will consider additional phases of the community.