Full disclosure: If you visit a link on this page and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
When the teacher shortage hits, another obstacle arises: affordable housing. Teachers need to make ends meet while keeping housing costs below annual salaries; districts and communities have responded by creating various ways for teachers to access such affordable homes, from teacher housing complexes to home buying programs.
Daly City, California’s working-class district constructed a 110-unit apartment complex known as “Teacher Village” to attract and retain educators, while similar villages have opened in Santa Clara and Nags Head North Carolina.
Teachers need a chance to save money in order to afford living in more desirable areas later on, and financial incentives could give them that chance. But it remains uncertain whether these will have long-term ramifications: Redfin conducted a 2016 study which showed only 20% of homes on the market in major U.S. metro areas could be afforded by teachers on average salaries.
The National Educator’s Association offers teachers yearlong discounts on select everyday purchases through its membership discount program, while also providing travel and insurance rates discounts to NEA members. AAE members can access these deals by providing proof of teaching status – such as ID card or payslip at checkout – such as Half Price Books offering 10% with educator cards; National Geographic Store offering discounted classroom resources; or New York Times subscription options including print and online access at 50% discounts.
