Aesthetics Vs. Affordable: San Jose's New Housing Battle

In California, the San Jose Unified School District’s consideration of a plan to move Leland High School and Bret Harte Middle School in order to build affordable housing for teachers and other school employees has prompted residents to start a petition against the idea.

The petition, “Save Leland and Bret Harte,” currently has more than 5,230 signatures from locals who say implementing the affordable housing plan would drive down home values, increase traffic congestion, "negatively impact the aesthetics of the area," and that affordable housing is "not consistent with the surrounding areas," MarketWatch reports. The school's plan, currently in the "idea" stage, would move the schools to the neighborhood's edge from their current central locations.

School district deputy superintendent Stephen McMahon told local news affiliate KGO, "We’re losing dozens when they find out about the cost of living. We’re losing even more when they want to start a family. Many of our best and brightest teachers, when they want to start a family of their own, are relocating because they can’t afford to buy a house here.”

The difficulties faced by the San Jose Unified School District are emblematic of school districts across the country. Home prices and the cost of living are rising steadily, while teacher pay is worsening. San Jose had the highest median home list price nationwide as of Sept. 1, at $1.15 million, according to data from Realtor.com ... Overall, it is now five times more expensive to buy a home in San Jose than the national average, when factoring in the down payment, closing costs and moving-related expenses, according to a recent report from real-estate website Zillow.

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