Arizona school district builds tiny homes to keep teachers in classrooms

Tiny homes built to recruit, retain educators in Chino Valley

The Chino Valley School District built 10 tiny housing units to recruit and retain their educators. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean checks out one tiny, but mighty home. 

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. - How can Arizona schools recruit and retain good teachers? That's a question being asked by educational leaders across the state. 

Local perspective:

In Yavapai County, one district has found what they call one piece of the puzzle by building 10 affordable housing units for educators. 

Malachi Daniels is in his second year of his career, teaching third grade at Del Rio Elementary in Chino Valley. He says the area is perfect for him.

"I love fishing, I love hiking and so living in this Prescott area, this Chino Valley area was important to me," said Daniels. "It was important to have lakes nearby and hiking trails nearby."

A major perk of the job? His housing—located right off the elementary school property on land owned by Chino Valley Unified School District. Daniels lives in one of 10 "tiny homes" the district built to address teacher recruitment and retention amid rising housing costs.

"I can get the support to kind of build my financial needs as I'm growing. Coming straight out of college, it was a no-brainer to come over here," Daniels said.

By the numbers:

In Chino Valley, the average cost for a house is $430,000 and rent costs an average of $2,250 a month. But these 10 tiny homes cost just $550 a month and that rent goes right out of the teacher's paychecks.

The cost and the location of the homes also attracts international teachers.

"Most of them don't have international drivers' licenses so they need to live and work in close proximity," said Cindy Daniels, superintendent of the Chino Valley Unified School District.

Why It Matters:

Superintendent Daniels says this housing project—made possible by a grant and a roughly $1 million investment by the district—helps teachers who are already working there but may face a life change that affects their finances.

"Maybe a death of a spouse, a divorce, things like that and they're not in a position, they need to financially recover," she said. "It's putting some younger people into our workforce, which I think is really good for kids."

The project is allowing a district like Chino Valley to grow and not only find, but keep, good teachers like Malachi Daniels.

"I'm really starting to get my setting in my adult life and I feel like it's really prepared me to continue my life in Chino which is really nice, especially being away from family and friends and being here alone," Malachi Daniels said. "It's really helped me stabilize myself as a person."