HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Hays CISD is considering partnering with a developer to build affordable housing for teachers and staff amid the growing cost of living and a growing district.
Upward Communities is a Central Texas-based developer with a mission statement of bringing modern homes at an affordable rate. Founder and CEO Jason Roberts wants to bring that idea to Hays CISD staff members.
“The problem we see is that the cost of living is quickly outpacing these essential staff’s pay,” Roberts said.
“Teachers would love to buy a house or own a single-family house with the backyard, with the amenities of some of these amazing communities. They just simply aren’t getting paid enough money to be able to afford that,” he said.
Roberts, in the first phase, would bring 300 homes – ranging from one to four bedrooms – to the district. The dwellings would be available at around 80% of the area’s market rate. The company still earns a profit, just a little over a long period, he said.
“If you were to own a house today, your mortgage payment on today’s interest rate would be probably around $3,400 a month on a $400,000 house,” he said. “We’re offering that same house for rent, with no responsibility of maintenance, for like [$1,800] a month.”
He presented the plan to the Hays CISD board on Dec. 16, which received positive feedback.
“This is definitely an opportunity for our staff. And all of us are about being employee friendly,” Esperanza Orosco, a school board member, said after Robert’s presentation.
“This is just another thing we can add to being employee-friendly. I really do appreciate you bringing this to us,” she continued.
Roberts said if the board approves the partnership early next year, Upward Communities could break ground by the summer. He said also that he hopes to bring this idea to more school districts across the country.
“We’d like to solve a scalable problem, not just one,” he said.
Other Texas school districts have made similar moves. The Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, which is based in the town of Pecos in Reeves County, built its own 64-unit teacher housing complex. More locally, the Eanes ISD board approved in December 2023 a partnership with the Texas Workforce Housing Foundation to find affordable housing.
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