New York City will offer housing subsidies of up to $14,600 to math, science, and special education teachers willing to work in some of its highest-needs schools.
Under the program, announced last week, teacher recruits certified in those subjects with at least two years’ experience will get $5,000 upfront in housing expenses, including the cost of relocating to the New York City area. They will also get a $400 housing stipend monthly for two years. In return, they will have to work in the city’s schools for three years.
Housing subsidies have been used elsewhere to attract teachers—in Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit, for example,—but New York City school officials say their program is one of the most generous.
Dan Weisberg, the executive director of labor policy for the city’s schools, said the initiative targets out-of-state teachers as well as former and retired ones in New York state.
He said the district hopes to hire around 100 teachers through the program for the next school year.
United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said her union agreed to the provision because the state had threatened to cite the city for not having enough certified math, science, and special education teachers.
