One Idea For Keeping Teachers: Build Housing For Them … A House bill now in the Senate that would create affordable rentals for teachers in Ewa Beach could be a model for Hawaii, its proponents say.
Hawaii Rep. Scot Matayoshi recalls being a young science teacher in Nanakuli years ago, sharing an apartment with three other teachers in order to get by on his meager pay. Now a lawyer and lawmaker, Matayoshi is trying to give a hand to other fledgling teachers on Oahu.
A bill before the Legislature would help build affordable rentals for new teachers near Ewa Beach in what House Finance Committee Chair Sylvia Luke says is a pilot project that could be replicated in other areas.
Co-authored by Matayoshi and Luke, the bill would allow the state to buy land behind Holomua Elementary School for development into 200 to 300 units, which would be rented at below market rates to starting teachers.
