California’s high housing costs are straining the ability of local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit and retain teachers and staff. Many have begun exploring or building education workforce housing (EWH) to address staff turnover, but most have limited capacity and expertise to navigate the complex financing and development processes necessary for making EWH a reality.

County offices of education (COEs) are uniquely positioned to support school districts in this endeavor. With their regional reach, convening power, and technical expertise, COEs can play a critical role in advancing EWH—both for their own staff and by supporting their constituent districts.
This white paper outlines the role COEs can play in making EWH feasible for more districts, benefiting California’s students. It focuses on three categories of support:

• Building knowledge and capacity—Convening districts, providing technical assistance, and sharing tools for early planning and predevelopment.
• Supporting regional and external partnerships—Connecting districts with city, county, housing authority, and higher education partners to align efforts, pool resources, and overcome development hurdles.
• Directly engaging in housing development—Exploring COE-led projects, joint development opportunities, and joint powers authorities (JPAs) to expand funding and scale.

By leveraging their role as regional conveners and experts, COEs can help districts overcome barriers that might otherwise prevent projects from moving forward, ensuring that more educators can live in the communities where they work.