San José Unified is quietly sizing up a downtown condominium tower as potential housing for teachers and staff, a high‑stakes move that would lean on voter‑approved money for employee housing and drop the school district right into the middle of a fierce local argument over how bond dollars should be spent.
As reported by EdSource, district officials have zeroed in on a specific high‑rise that is reported to contain about 337 units. A commercial real‑estate firm is evaluating the property, suggesting a purchase price and drawing up a proposed timeline. District leaders say any deal would still need school board approval and would go through standard public review.
Voters signed off on Measure R in November 2024, a $1.15 billion bond that the district says can be used to provide affordable housing to attract and retain teachers and staff. The NLIHC notes the district expects to commit roughly $283 million of that total to staff housing, and the district’s own Measure R materials list housing as one of the allowed uses. At the same time, San José Unified has stressed that Measure R also pays for classroom, safety and infrastructure upgrades…