DECATUR, Ga. — The superintendent of Decatur City Schools is on a mission to get a permit from the city that would allow the creation of affordable housing for all teachers and staff in the district.
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman's motion to apply for those permits was unanimously approved by the Decatur City Schools Board of Education, which would turn two city-owned buildings into a property for affordable housing.
When asked why the board was considering doing affordable housing for teachers in the first place, Fehrman said it is imperative for everyone, not just teachers.
"It's unattainable for them to live in our community. And we want to make sure that they've got a place that's affordable," Fehrman said.
She also hopes this will keep educators in the communities where they teach. The potential homes will be on Westchester Drive and South McDonough Street, which is within walking distance from a school.
"We want our staff to be here, and engaged, and supporting the community. And as a lot of people know, Decatur has become a very wealthy area. Houses are selling for upward of $1 million," Fehrman said.
11Alive checked Zillow. The average rent in Decatur is nearly $1,900, while the average teacher's salary is around $50,000.
Michelle Hughes is a mother of two and lives in the area. Both of her children go to school within the district.
"Decatur is becoming more and more expensive each year to live in," said Hughes.
While she's excited about the potential for her kids to get some new friends close by, she wonders who will take care of things like the overgrown plants she's been cleaning up in the area.
"We go over there and try to maintain the property a little bit," Hughes said. "I hope they have on their plans to spruce up the parts surrounding it."
Fehrman said that will be up to the maintenance company and possibly the tenants.
Despite a school district recently doing the same thing in Texas to alleviate a teacher shortage, Fehrman said the district has not been hit as hard when it comes to retaining its teachers.
"They are so amazing. And if we can put some perks out there for our teachers, like 'Hey, we've got some opportunities for housing that's local, it's a shorter commute,'" Fehrman said.
When it comes to actually getting the permits approved, Fehrman said there are now multiple steps that need to be completed before this plan can come to fruition.
She said they will be entering a partnership with the City and Decatur Land Trust to see how this plan is envisioned versus how it looks on paper.
"We're not house renovators," Fehrman explained. "But we do want to make sure that our resources we have, we can partner with those groups like Decatur Land Trust, the City of Decatur -- to make sure that the opportunities are there for our staff."
Just recently, there was a governor's proposal for a $2,000 raise for teachers. Ferhman was asked why affordable housing is necessary instead of just giving the teachers a raise.
"One of our top priorities is always compensating our teachers at a competitive level," Fehrman said.
She stated the school board is taking a close look at the teacher compensation package, which also includes passing the $2,000 raise being offered by Kemp.
"We'll also look at providing step increases and cost-of-living increases," Fehrman said.
She said the six schools of Decatur are about to launch their new strategic plan and is encouraging community members, teachers and business partners to play a role in letting their voices be heard so there can be continued investment in improving the school system.