AB 2967: Teacher Housing Act of 2016: nonprofit organization employees.

Existing law, the Teacher Housing Act of 2016, authorizes a school district to establish and implement programs, as provided, that address the housing needs of teachers and school district employees who face challenges in securing affordable housing. The act restricts programs established under its provisions to teachers and school district employees, with certain exceptions. The act defines the term teacher or school district employee for these purposes to mean any person employed by a unified school district maintaining prekindergarten, transitional kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, an elementary school district maintaining prekindergarten, transitional kindergarten, and grades 1 to 8, inclusive, or a high school district maintaining grades 9 to 12, inclusive, including, but not limited to, certificated and classified staff. The act creates a state policy supporting housing for teachers and school district employees and permits school districts and developers in receipt of local or state funds or tax credits designated for affordable rental housing to restrict occupancy to teachers and school district employees, as specified.

This bill would expand the authority provided under the act to include programs that address the housing needs of nonprofit organization employees who face challenges in securing affordable housing. The bill would define nonprofit organization employee for these purposes to include employees of a nonprofit organization operating early childhood, prekindergarten, or schoolage childcare, classrooms, or programs, or expanded learning classrooms and programs, on school district property with funding from the State Department of Education, the federal Head Start program, or other public funding targeted to children from families of low and moderate income. The bill would make conforming changes to the act in this regard. The bill, for housing made available or a contract for housing entered into on or after January 1, 2025, would require a program established under these provisions to provide teachers, school district employees, and nonprofit organization employees with a right of first refusal to occupy housing acquired, constructed, rehabilitated, or preserved under the act. The bill would require teachers or school district employees to be prioritized before nonprofit organization employees.