02 Apr WCCUSD Board Backs Bill to Fund Teacher Workforce Housing

West Contra Costa school board members voted unanimously March 26 to express support for state Senate Bill 502, which would help fund the development of workforce housing. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The West Contra Costa school board is backing legislation that would make building affordable housing for educators easier as many point to low pay and rising living costs for the district’s teacher shortage and budget woes. 

Board members voted unanimously at the March 26 meeting to support state Sen. Jesse Arreguin’s Senate Bill 502, which would help fund the development of workforce housing that WCCUSD said is “a common barrier” to its development. 

“It would allow 125 school districts and local educational agencies, per year, access to these funds,” said board president Leslie Reckler. “It would probably be $100,000, $200,000 in predevelopment costs that school districts would have to spend years before they actually put a shovel in the ground.”

The board’s support comes months after members pledged to pursue workforce housing for the district and applied for the California School Board Association’s 2025 Cohort for Education Workforce Housing Workshop series. 

Educator compensation has been central to disagreements between the district and union leaders as the board slashes millions to maintain control of its finances. Both agree that current compensation is not enough but differ in what they believe the district can offer.  

The starting salary for a teacher in the district is the lowest among nine area districts, according to data from the district that interim Superintendent Kim Moses presented to the Richmond City Council last week. It also ranks seventh in average salary among those districts. 

United Teachers of Richmond leaders, who represent hundreds of WCCUSD educators, say the cuts are unnecessary and the district could use its reserves to pay for current budget needs and to offer higher compensation to educators. 

Moses, however, has maintained that the reserves can’t be used to pay certain educators and reserves would instead be used to follow its multi-year fiscal solvency plan. 

Housed in Fund 17, the board unanimously approved $11.499 million to be spent from the fund at the meeting to help address its deficit. 

Don Gosney, who sits on the district’s 7-11 Committee, said he was concerned that the board would disregard the committee’s recommendations when it came to workforce housing.

The committee, made up of community members appointed by the board, reviews WCCUSD-owned properties and makes recommendations for the surplus property.

“The issue here is the board is sending yet another crystal clear message that no matter what your 7-11 Committee recommends, you’re going to go with workforce housing,” said Gosney, who said three board members had indicated as much. 

Board member Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy said he had yet to make a decision on what to do with the surplus property. 

“I really haven’t heard anyone up here say that,” he said in response to Gosney. “I have heard previous trustees, but they’re not here.” 

The committee, which included board member Guadalupe Enllana before she was elected, was tasked with evaluating four past school sites — Adams Middle School in unincorporated Contra Costa County, Portola Middle School in El Cerrito, Seaview Elementary School near Tara Hills, and Harmon Knolls Elementary School in Richmond. 

“Are you even going to ask about the negatives associated with the four surplus sites?” said Gosney. “About the toxins, the flooding, the seismic activity, the shifting hillsides, the EMF [electromagnetic field] emissions, and most importantly, Richmond’s rent control ordinance, which can cause the district boatloads of money?” 

Gonzalez-Hoy said workforce housing is needed in the state and district because of a labor shortage, “especially in this district.” 

The next West Contra Costa school board meeting is April 16.