ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools employees may soon get an edge when looking for affordable housing.
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On Tuesday, the school board signed off on an agreement that prioritizes school district employees for affordable housing at two Orlando apartment complexes: Palm Gardens and Colonial Gardens on West Colonial Drive.
Per the agreement, 10 units at the Palm Gardens and 10 units at the Colonial Gardens will be set aside for qualifying OCPS employees, including teachers, bus drivers, and food service workers.
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The district said this is the first of many housing agreements now in the works to help recruit and retain teachers and staff.
“The cost of living in the Orlando area has increased to the point where we’re trying to do everything we can to assist and help all of our employees,” said Bridget Williams, Deputy Superintendent for the district.
According to the district, a push to address housing challenges for OCPS staff began last year. A committee now meets regularly to discuss possible affordable housing solutions.
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The Priority Housing Access Agreement approved Tuesday was supported by OESPA, Orange Education Support Professionals, which represents bus drivers, custodians, and paraprofessionals in the district.
OESPA President Ron Pollard told Channel 9 he strongly supported the agreement and a push to find affordable housing solutions for staff.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association said they appreciated the district’s acknowledgement of a housing crisis, but said the agreement was a “band-aid” to a larger problem.
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See Orange County Classroom Teachers Association’s full statement below:
“We appreciate that the district is beginning to acknowledge the severe housing crisis affecting educators in Orange County. However, a handful of affordable housing units is merely a band-aid on a much deeper issue. Too many of our teachers are living paycheck to paycheck, forced to take in roommates, or moving farther away just to make ends meet.
The district must prioritize its employees in the budget and commit to paying teachers a living wage so that educators don’t have to rely on subsidized housing to afford to live in the communities they serve. No teacher should have to choose between staying in the profession they love and financial stability. If we truly value public education, we must invest in the people who make it possible.
The fact is that Florida remains 50th in the nation for average teacher pay. The Governor’s proposed budget doesn’t move us away from that shameful truth. We encourage the District and Tallahassee to roll up their sleeves and figure out how they will make a real difference for our educators, our community, and in the end, our students,” - Clinton McCracken, CTA President.
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