Lake County Gazette

At a recent meeting, the Forward Together Facilities Initiative (FTFI) discussed approaches used by Colorado school districts and entrepreneurs to address affordable housing for teachers. The committee heard from Kwame Spearman, who collaborates with districts across the state to create teacher housing by repurposing existing assets or selling land to developers in exchange for affordable housing guarantees.

“This is an incredibly important topic,” said Spearman. “Fewer young teachers want to work in Colorado because they can’t afford to live here.”

Spearman, a Colorado native and former CEO of Tattered Cover, shared his perspective as the committee considers long-term uses of district facilities. Like other districts, Westminster Public Schools (WPS) faces declining enrollments due to lower birth rates and rising housing costs.

No decisions have been made about closing or repurposing WPS schools. The FTFI committee expects to make recommendations to the Board of Education in early 2026.

A report from the Keystone Policy Center titled "We Can’t Live Where We Teach" supports Spearman’s view. The report surveyed 3,200 educators statewide and found that young teachers spend about 40 percent of their salary on housing—higher than the average employee’s 25-30 percent.

“Westminster Public Schools property is very valuable,” said Spearman. He encouraged leaders to find creative ways to use facilities for students and the community. He added that having teachers live near where they teach can improve happiness and retention: “Those first three years for a teacher are a difficult time,” he said. “If they live in proximity to each other and if they have support from other young teachers, it leads to overall happiness and retention.”

Districts in Byers, Hudson, Wiggins, Aspen, and Denver have adopted various strategies for affordable teacher housing. Committee members asked questions of Spearman, who invited them to continue learning from him and others.

The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 serves Lake County and includes several elementary schools as well as middle schools and Waukegan High School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to state data, the district's student population is predominantly Hispanic at nearly 80 percent; Black students make up just over 13 percent; White students comprise slightly more than 3 percent; Asian students account for about 1 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district employs over one thousand teachers with an average salary of $63,524 before pension contributions; most are women (71.1 percent), while men represent 28.9 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In terms of spending, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 spent $23,429 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure exceeding $359 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).