IGNACIO – Ignacio School District has turned to an unconventional approach to recruiting and retaining employees: providing affordable housing, all within walking distance of school buildings.
The homes are designed to help employees better engage with the education community and not worry as much about logistics such as finding a place to live amid the area’s housing shortage and rising costs, said Superintendent Chris deKay.
The district owns and pays for 11 units that are being used by 12 to 14 employees, including four family homes and a few single units. Those homes feature monthly rents ranging from $850 to $1,050.
At least a couple of those homes are directly across from Ignacio High School, including one belonging to school district groundsperson Damian Brisendine. About five of them are nestled on a hill called “Teacher Row,” overlooking the IHS football and baseball fields. David Quiroz, a social studies and language arts teacher at Ignacio Middle School, lives on Teacher Row.
The homes were built in the late 1960s through the early 1980s by district trade school students under the guidance of building trades instructors, and they were gradually added as part of the district’s annual budget. For example, homes that were built in 1969 or 1970 were incorporated into the district budget for that particular year, deKay said.
“Legally, we have to be within the market. But we try to give employees the best deal possible,” he said. “I think originally, those (units) were set up with the intent to allow staff members to save money so that someday they could purchase a home in the area.”
During the 2023-24 school year, the average salary for teachers was $49,281, and classified positions like custodians and teacher aides were a little under $40,000, deKay said.
He said the district factored in La Plata County’s rising cost of living during the last five years, adding that the current rent on those district employee houses allow staff members to save money so they can move to a more expensive place later on.
While some employees may stay in those homes for only a year or two, deKay said others have decided to stay longer.
Employees like Brisendine and Quiroz have amenities such as their own front yard.
The district has managed costs of the units by using building trade classes and by proper fiscal management. There wasn’t a need to pay for the homes via a school bond or mill levy increase.
“We’ve slowly added on to them over the course of the years. I think that it’s really been a bonus for us as a school district to be able to offer this to our staff,” deKay said. “We’re just looking to attract the best people possible to work in our district, and I think that this helps.”
deKay said the demand had reached a point where other district superintendents contacted him inquiring about whether their staff members may be able to stay in one of the Ignacio School District units, for which he explained they are only for his staff.
“Having teacher housing is a big piece of being here. We’re in a rural area,” Quiroz said.
As a whole, there is some interest in Ignacio-area homes. In August, a pair of in-town homes were sold for a median sale price of $344,000, and four rural homes were sold for a median price of $479,500, according to data from the Durango Area Association of Realtors. Another rural home was sold in September for a median price of $475,000.
Brisendine, who is originally from Burlington on Colorado’s eastern plains, said his family did not meet the income tax bracket requirements to receive stimulus checks when COVID-19 hit in 2020, and he was the only family member working.
“Without the stimulus, we couldn’t pay our rent,” he said.
Brisendine’s mother-in-law was working in Ignacio at the time, so he decided to move there and was set up with a place to live.
“This is a great service that the district is providing,” Quiroz said. “Let’s be real: It’s about half the market cost. It helps out a lot with the cost-of-living.”
Brisendine said he embraces not only walking to and from work, but also saving money on gasoline.
“(Work) keeps me busy. If they need someone on call, I’m right there, ready for action,” he said.
Quiroz, who moved from Los Angeles to Ignacio about 11 years ago, said his home’s proximity to Ignacio Middle School allows him to have a strong presence among students and their families.
Also as part of their home contracts, Brisendine and Quiroz are allowed to have family members stay with them at no extra cost. Brisendine lives with his wife and two dogs. Quiroz has his 83-year-old mother stay with him whenever she visits from Los Angeles.
Quiroz said Ignacio School District’s employee housing setup is “a progressive mentality” because it’s rarely, if ever, seen – even in big cities.
“We’re talking about housing. But really, what’s going on is a different type of thinking, and that’s where we’re at,” he said.
deKay said the homes stir interest in other districts when they observe it, eager to learn more about it.
In the event housing demands keep growing, there’s a space near the Southern Colorado Community Action Agency Inc. building on Candelaria Drive to accommodate 15 lots. Such expansion could include small houses, duplexes or apartments, and the district would pay for it through means like grants or by selling other school property.
“I speculate that, yes, slowly but surely, over the course of time, we will continue to add units,” deKay said.
Brisendine said his home in Ignacio offers “a real secure feeling,” given how much housing costs have risen the last couple of years.
deKay believes that by having those housing units, employees are able to focus more on their jobs and worry less about outside factors like the actual process of finding a home and higher rent costs.
“Like all school districts, we would like employees to be here for the long term,” he said. “So, I really think that there’s some added benefit with housing for that.”
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com