Davis Joint Unified School District

Superintendent Matt Best Celebrates District’s Selection for California Education Workforce Housing Learning Cohort

Posted on 11/01/2024

Superintendent Matt Best Celebrates District’s Selection for California Education Workforce Housing Learning Cohort

Davis—Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) Superintendent Matt Best announced today that DJUSD has been selected to be part of the Education Workforce Housing Cohort led by the California School Boards Association (CSBA). DJUSD will join a select group of other California school districts and county offices that are committed to finding solutions to ways to improve housing affordability for teachers and school staff.

As part of the cohort, DJUSD will take part in a workshop series that includes visits to California school districts who have developed education workforce housing, including high-quality and attractive housing to lease to their employees at below-market rates. Superintendent Best, now in his 25th year with the Davis school district and who began his career as a teacher, shared his enthusiasm for DJUSD’s selection and participation in this peer learning group focused on educator workforce housing solutions.

“We are experiencing a housing crisis in Davis, and this has had significant consequences for our schools. DJUSD can be a local leader in finding creative solutions to the challenges of housing affordability and availability faced by our teachers and staff members,” said Best. “This opportunity provides our District with the ability to learn from others around the state who have faced similar challenges. Through these efforts we will be better positioned to attract and retain employees and also to make strides toward combatting declining enrollment in our schools.”

The CSBA cohort workshop series will last throughout the 2024-25 school year and will inform the work of the district. The DJUSD Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution on the DJUSD workforce housing plan on August 15, 2024, after hearing the results of a staff survey on this topic. For more information please visit www.djusd.net/housing.

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ABOUT DJUSD
The Davis Joint Unified School District provides innovative educational programs to approximately 8,300 students at more than 16 school sites. In partnership with parents, DJUSD helps each student develop the abilities and values needed to reach their full potential. For more information go to www.djusd.net or facebook.com/DavisJointUnifiedSchoolDistrict.