The San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees is considering a partnership with Upward Communities to potentially develop an affordable housing community designed for district staff.
Jason Roberts, Upward Communities founder and CEO, presented the results of a survey given to SMCISD staff members to the board on Oct. 19. The survey provides insight into district staff’s interest in an affordable housing community.
The overview
Upward Communities is currently developing affordable housing communities for two other Central Texas school districts, Hays CISD and Lockhart ISD. The company provides all funding for the communities' development and leases the properties to the districts, Roberts said.
Over half of the staff members employed at SMCISD responded to the survey: 689 employees, or 55%. Of the 295 employees who currently rent, 275 said yes or maybe to wanting district-supported housing.
“People love to be teachers, and love to work for the school district,” Roberts said. “As inflation continues to eat up their paychecks and gas goes up, they can't afford to anymore, and they seek other professions that would pay them more money.”
Teachers made up 359, or 52.1%, of the total survey responses. Central office, operations and 12 campuses were represented with respondents to the survey across 18 unique job titles, according to Upward Communities.
“When I bought my house 11 years ago, I was forced to look outside of San Marcos due to the high cost of living,” said a teacher at DeZavala Elementary School. “My heart is in San Marcos, and moving back would be a dream come true.”
The details
The SMCISD Board of Trustees voted to table any decision on whether the district would move forward with the Upward Communities affordable housing community project on Oct. 19.
The company has designed the San Marcos community and would need the board to sign a master lease agreement that would let SMCISD control the development for 55 years. The agreement would allow the district to restrict the property to only serve SMCISD employees, Roberts said.
“We see this housing as an outside private partner,” Roberts said. “We're trying to make the benefits of being a school district staff employee so great that people seek this profession instead of leaving this profession.”
Also of note
On Sept. 1, Hays CISD broke ground on Live Oak Commons, its affordable housing community with Upward Communities, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The 362-home subdivision aims to retain and recruit staff. The property's waiting list includes over 600 employees. The community offers one- to four-bedroom units and additional amenities.
