Wednesday, April 9, 2008

School district tries to ward off teacher shortage

High real estate prices are the stumbling block for attracting educators

---

By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Erika Swanger, left, is a first-year Spanish teacher at Wood River High School. She is one of the first recipients of a forgivable loan from the Blaine County Education Foundation, which is helping teachers with down payments to purchase homes. The exorbitant price of real estate in Blaine County is the major cause of a potential teacher shortage looming for the Wood River Valley. Photo by Willy Cook

Facing the prospect of a not-to-distant shortage of teachers, the Blaine County School District and the county's nonprofit education foundation are taking innovative measures to lure educators to the Wood River Valley.

The Blaine County Education Foundation announced earlier this month that it has awarded its first "forgivable loans" to help two Wood River High School teachers meet the stiff local price for down payments on homes, a solution that underscores the stumbling block in drawing educators to the valley—exorbitant real estate prices.

"They love the salary, they love the scenery, they'd love to move here, but when they see the cost of living and housing, they're not even interested in filling out an application," said Mike Chatterton, the school district's business manager.

Compared to the Magic Valley to the south, teacher salaries in Blaine County run about 40 percent higher, but real estate prices are higher too, averaging 60 percent higher or more, Chatterton said.

Solutions are not something the school district can ignore, as the county's Hispanic student population continues to mushroom and half the district's teachers reach retirement age within the next 10 years.

"I wouldn't say it's at a crisis stage, but it's a big area of concern for us and we have to start moving toward some solutions now," said Chatterton.

In addition to assistance from the education foundation, the school district is offering rent subsidies to some teachers, helping non-teacher district staff with college expenses so they can become teachers and is exploring ways to get into the real estate market for teacher housing.

"There are a lot of programs we're developed over the years that will help with the problem, but we won't really solve it until we can provide affordable housing for teachers," Chatterton said.

Dual language teachers especially needed

Chatterton said the school district's need for teachers is "across the board" but is especially acute for educators who can teach in both English and Spanish.

While the Caucasian student population has remained constant over the past several years, the Hispanic population continues to grow. Twenty-eight percent of the district's students are Hispanic, but the percentage is expected at current trends to reach 50 percent within the next eight years.

Some schools in the south valley are already approaching 50 percent Hispanic, and Woodside Elementary School in Hailey is already there, Chatterton said.

Some Hispanic students come to the valley speaking little or no English, and the district is attempting to address the situation through its Dual Immersion and English as a Second Language programs. The Dual Immersion Program starts in kindergarten and at present continues through middle school with children instructed in both English and Spanish. English as a Second Language attempts to help older Hispanic students learn the language.

Teacher Magnet Fund

Erika Swanger was hired this year to teach Spanish at Wood River High School. She's a Wood River Valley native who plans to get married next fall but said she likely wouldn't have been able to afford to stay in the valley without assistance through the education foundation's Teacher Magnet Fund.

Swanger is one of the first of two recipients of "forgivable loans" of up to $10,000 for down payments on homes. The loans are forgivable at the rate of $2,000 per year. If a teacher stays in the district for five years, the loan is completely forgivable.

"I think this grant is great," said Swanger. "It helped us get stabilized in the valley. It's an expensive place to live. With the program, they make it possible to actually stay here. I wouldn't have been able to buy a home by myself."

Heather Crocker, the education foundation's executive director, said the program is a good example of private donations being used for the public good.

"It's an investment on our part, and on the donor's part, in the community," Crocker said. "This is an immediate solution that provides an opportunity for teachers to purchase homes on the open market. It's all about quality teachers in the classroom, and it doesn't matter what curriculum it is. As long as we can have the highest-quality teachers in the valley, then we can have the highest-quality education."

Wood River High School technology education teacher Samuel Schrader also received a forgivable loan from the education foundation, and he and his wife, Melanie, were recently able to buy a home.

"This grant is the best welcome to the community we can imagine," Schrader said. "We are teachers. We have never been wealthy, and we know we never will be. We have made a number of financial sacrifices to play a role in society that we feel is valuable. However, the desire to have a home in the community in which we work is still part of our aspirations and desires."

Chatterton said the education foundation's assistance is greatly appreciated.

"Absolutely—any type of program like this that's going to help us get staff members into a house—that helps us,' he said.

But it's not enough

Chatterton said the Teacher Magnate Fund is a laudable program but it only "scratches the surface" and other measures are needed.

A school district program currently in place provides subsidized rent for teachers at up to $300 a month. The subsidy drops by $100 each year, but it is a way to get teachers started in the valley.

Another program under way is geared toward existing district non-teaching staff, such as bus drivers, custodians and clerical workers, who are already familiar with making ends meet in the valley. Sixteen of them are taking advantage of a school district program that pays for college tuition and books to help them become teachers.

But Chatterton said the best overall solution is building affordable homes for teachers. The school district is prohibited by state law from building homes and selling them below market value, but is working with the valley-based nonprofit Advocates for Real Community Housing to develop a way to build lower-priced starter housing units for teachers.

"The school district's biggest challenge coming over the next few years is that we have to find a way so we can attract these people so they can find a house they can afford to live in," Chatterton said.