Rising housing costs in California have made it unaffordable for teachers to buy homes, especially in the Bay Area, a new report concludes.
According to real estate tracker Redfin, 83 percent of homes in the state are out of an affordable price range for teachers.
"It's always uncertain in San Francisco because the rents are high," said Claudia Tirado, a third-grade teacher in San Francisco. "The property values are going up so high."
Tirado lives in a rent-controlled unit and said surviving in the city is not easy in her profession. Her story is shared by many other teachers, which adds to a growing issue for the local school district.
The San Francisco Unified School District needs to fill dozens of teaching positions while the cost of living is high and the pool of teachers is shrinking.
"California and actually the nation is facing a teacher shortage," San Francisco schools spokesperson Gentle Blythe said. "It's a serious problem."
Blythe said part of what happened is during the recession there was a drop in people pursuing teaching credentials.
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Despite the challenge, San Francisco school officials said recruiting efforts appear to be working.
Blythe said the average teach makes about $69,500, less for new teachers.
Ken Tray with United Educators of San Francisco said something needs to change.
"When the average home in San Francisco is $1.3 million now and a new, idealistic teacher makes $52,000 a year -- do the math," Tray said.
