A Silicon Valley school district that has lured teachers to the area by offering them subsidized housing and lavish perks is drawing ire for pricey purchases including a $2,500 swivel chair and an energy healer to do guided meditation with administrators at $1,200 per session.

Mountain View Whisman School District, like others across California, has had to get creative to help recruit and retain teachers. Officials have offered up low-cost housing in the San Francisco Bay Area city where most find it difficult to afford the high rents and mortgages in the neighborhoods they work.