A small island community has raised $1 million to build teacher housing, throwing a lifeline to Washington state’s oldest continuously operating school.
SHAW ISLAND, Wash. — It sounds like a teacher’s dream job: small class sizes, parent involvement and an idyllic setting. But there’s a problem – there’s nowhere to live.
Such is the case in the San Juan Islands, where a housing crunch has led to a teacher shortage at one of the state’s oldest schools.
The bell at Shaw Island School is rung by hand. The two-room, barn-red building is 136 years old and is the longest continuously operating schoolhouse in Washington state. But this distinction also brings its own set of challenges. The biggest problem isn’t the dilapidated classrooms for children: it’s the lack of bedrooms for teachers.
“It’s very important because it’s our main barrier to hiring teachers and finding a permanent place to live,” said Diane Clifton, who has taught at the two-room schoolhouse for 17 years. During that time, she had to move to different rentals four times. “It’s really hard to be constantly uprooted and having to move and trying to find a place.”
On the island of about 150 people, the median home price is $1 million and rent is essentially non-existent. Traveling to and from the mainland or other islands means at least 14 hours a day.
Rebecca Hogue graduated from Shaw Island School, where her daughter Isla is now a kindergarten teacher. “It’s such a magical place and I can’t think of a better place for my children’s childhood,” she said. But Hogg worries about the future of education on the island. The school needs to hire another teacher, but is having difficulty recruiting one due to a lack of housing. “I think that’s always been an issue. Providing a stable place to work for our teachers has been everyone’s wish.”
The community has been talking about building teacher housing for 30 years. Now, they’ve finally achieved that goal, raising $1 million to build a house just steps from the schoolhouse gates.
On this island, for that price, you can buy a 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath single-story home within walking distance of work. But to the people of Shaw Island, it is just a castle. The home is expected to be completed this winter, and Clifton hopes to move in once it’s complete.
“It would be nice to have a place, it would be nice to have a place where you can rest your head every night,” she said.
Whoever moves in will pay rent and will soon have neighbors. The plan is to build a second home for another teacher on property owned by the same school district.
“We no longer have to worry about where our teachers live,” said Shaw Island Schools Superintendent Dr. Becky Bell.
For Hogg, the project is proof of how much a small community can accomplish. “I think it’s incredible what a community can do when they come together to address a problem like this.”
From the school bell to the doorbell, the little red schoolhouse now has a heart and will soon have a home.
