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What might be even more critical than the budget cuts in expensive Cupertino is retaining teachers. Which is why one of the questions posed to 237 Cupertino Union School District teachers in a recent survey was:
"If the sky was the limit, what would you ask for?" The teachers' responses placed a better salary and affordable housing at the top of their wish list.
Salary and housing are such critical issues that many teachers leave the school district each year simply because they cannot afford to live in this area.
To better help local school districts retain their teachers, the city of Cupertino has created a housing assistance program that will help local teachers buy a home in Cupertino.
According to Steve Piasecki, director of the city's community development department, the assistance program would provide a deferred payment loan of up to $50,000 to assist teachers in purchasing a home in the city of Cupertino. The program is modeled after one offered by the city of San Jose.
For its first year, city staff is devoting approximately $200,000 to the program.
Two possible funding sources for the housing program are the city's redevelopment housing fund and Cupertino Community Services' below-market rate housing program.
The teacher housing assistance program would be available for full-time teachers in the Cupertino Union School, the Fremont Union High School and the FoothillDe Anza Community College Districts.
At their regular meeting on March 3, members of the Cupertino City Council all expressed support for the program when they reviewed the proposal.
The Cupertino Housing Commission will evaluate the proposal at its upcoming meeting on March 13.
At this time, the housing commission proposes that the city fund a nonprofit agency to work with the three participating school districts to inform teachers about the program as well as assist the teachers throughout the home purchase process.
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