A lack of affordable housing is expected to continue to prevent many teachers from living and working in Howard County, despite the recent 5 percent increase in starting salaries next year.
“We know the entire issue of housing is a problem,” said Mamie Perkins, the school system?s chief of staff.
“Most school systems want staff members to live in the county, and Howard County is no different.”
But developers aren?t motivated to build affordable housing, she said.
About 45 percent of teachers live in the county, and the percentage has been decreasing during the past five or so years.
“As long as the state of Maryland produces fewer teachers than required, then we?ll continue to see [school] systems fighting over the candidates they have,” Perkins said.
The school board recently approved the teacher pay scale for next year, which increases the starting salary from $42,407 to $44,527, which is projected to be the highest in the Baltimore region, said Kirk Thompson, the director of human resources.
But home prices in Howard are also the highest in the region.
The median sale price of a house in Howard in March was $375,000, according to the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. The next highest was Anne Arundel at $320,000.
Howard?s school system has many strategies to help teachers live in the county, but none of them alone has solved the problem.
They are:
– Teacher signing bonuses. This past year, officials offered 125 signing bonuses of $1,000 each in critical-need areas, including special education and science. The availability of signing bonuses depends on funding.
– A roommate referral system that allows teachers to find other teachers with whom to live.
– Encouraging teachers to apply to apartment complexes offering teachers discounts, like Town & Country Apartments in Ellicott City.
The Montgomery Public School System is projected to have a higher salary than Howard at $46,410, school officials said.
Many school systems are still negotiating with unions and have yet to confirm a beginning salary.
