VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County Schools is looking for ways to recruit and keep teachers in the district. There are currently 83 classroom vacancies.

After a recent conversation with a local nonprofit in Daytona Beach, school leaders are looking into building affordable houses for teachers.

“And hopefully this will be another boost that will encourage people to not only come to the area but stay in our area because we are really shifting our focus from just recruitment to retention,” Volusia County Schools Deputy Superintendent Dr. Rachel Hazel said.

While the district works on a housing initiative, Palm Terrace Elementary teacher Sean Hyacinth says the main concern for teachers is low wages.

“I think many teachers are really focused on the funds and being paid what we’re worth. We know that housing is going up, but one thing that’s not going up is our pay,” Hyacinth said.

The average starting salary for a teacher in Volusia County is $48,000. Hyacinth says he pays about $1,300 a month in rent.

“We need more money," Hyacinth said. "I think that hits it on the nail. We need more money because again, like I said, our housing is paid for. We’re not really complaining. Yes, housing is going up. But the only thing that we see not increasing is the pay that we’re getting.”

Earlier this month, the district declared an impasse with Volusia United Educators (VUE) over contracts after failing to strike a deal. The district presented the union with a 2% average salary increase, but VUE asked for a 3% salary increase and compensation for retention and longevity.

“We need to be focused on paying the people that are doing the jobs of educating our children,” Hyacinth said.

While teachers call for more pay, the district is working on this separate plan to provide housing as a way of financial relief. During a school workshop meeting, the non-profit Homes Bring Hope proposed building affordable houses in the 32114 Zip code of Daytona Beach.

The nonprofit suggested using four vacant lots the school district owns along George W. Engram Boulevard and Fulton Street. 

“Homes Bring Hope would come in, help us with the building of the houses and then the teachers or support staff, depending on who qualifies, would be the owners of those homes,” Hazel said.

The next step in the process will be for district leaders to work with Homes Bring Hope, putting together a contract they can implement right away.

“I think any time you can allow your employees to have an investment and have a stake in the community, that keeps them here, and that’s special. That’s what we want,” Hazel said.

Back in 2019, Homes Bring Hope partnered with Volusia County Schools to provide affordable housing for teachers. This will be the first time they will use surplus property owned by the district to build homes.