Austin ISD to build 500 affordable housing units for teachers, staff

Anita Ferrales Coy Facility where Austin ISD plans to build 500 affordable housing units for staff members.
Cristela Jones

MYSA
By Cristela Jones
Dececember 1, 2023

A Central Texas school district is trying to combat the price of living for its staff in an unorthodox way. Teachers in the Austin area could soon be living in a home owned by their employer. 

Austin Independent School District is hiring a company to build nearly 500 affordable housing units for teachers and school district staff. The new housing complex would be the first of its kind for AISD in its efforts to keep local educators employed in Austin, according to an Austin American-Statesman report. 

AISD officials reportedly said they expect developer NRP Group to begin construction in as early as two years, according to the Statesman report. Earlier this month, on November 16, the AISD's Board of Trustees unanimously approved entering into an exclusive agreement with NRP Group as they begin the process of building on the 20-acre Anita Ferrales Coy Facility, which is home to an Alternative Learning Center (ALC), owned by the district.

This complex will not only help teachers and ISD staff relieve some financial stress from finding affordable housing in Austin, but could also incentivize their continued work within the district, according to the report. The move comes as AISD has struggled to retain teachers and staff due to the rising cost of living in Austin, but also issues like the nationwide teacher shortage and the COVID-19 education gap that remains among students.

Anita Ferrales Coy Facility where Austin ISD plans to build 500 affordable housing units for staff members.
Cristela Jones

NRP Group told the Statesman that teachers and ISD staff will get priority over any applicants to the complex with at least half of the housing units to be affordable and solely meant for teachers and district staff. Rent prices have not been announced.

Preliminary work on the project is expected to begin soon, with construction on the new housing set to begin in summer 2025, according to KVUE.