June 23, 2026

By Lisa Abelar

Photo courtesy of Cindy Daniels

When Cindy Daniels hires a new teacher to join her team at Chino Valley Schools in northern Arizona, she understands that new employees have a calculation to make. The starting salary for a new teacher is $55,100. A portion of that is withheld for the pension system. And more is held back for taxes and insurance.

That take-home income, in a rural community where the median housing price hovers around $400,000, makes it challenging to find a place to live. 

“It’s highly unlikely they could afford to live here,” Daniels said of the community where she has lived for the past 20 years. “It’s not just impacting school districts. It also impacts public safety. Fire and police are making the same amount and they couldn’t afford to live here, either.”

As superintendent of a school district that experiences about 25% turnover for educators every year, Daniels needed a solution. Recruiting to rural areas is challenging. And a lack of affordable housing only amplified that challenge. A village of workforce housing, in the form of 475-square-foot tiny homes, seemed like one way to address the affordability issue.

“The Coconino County and the Yavapai County school offices had a grant that would allow us to apply for funding to build teacher housing to attract teachers. So, that’s what we did,” Daniels said.

The 10 tiny homes, built on one of the district’s school campuses, were financed by that grant and a district loan. The district initially charged $550 a month for the residences, which include a bedroom, an efficiency kitchen, a living area, a bathroom and a laundry area. Rent for the coming school year increased to $650 a month, still a far cry from the $2,250 average in the community. 

“If I were a single person who was working here during the week and doing other things on the weekends, it would be a really good option,” Daniels said. “It’s been a good recruiting tool.”

When Daniels needed to bring in five teachers from the Philippines to fill vacant positions, the tiny homes were ideal. Because they were on campus, the teachers could walk to class without needing a vehicle. The homes also proved valuable in ways Daniels didn’t expect.

They’ve served as transitional housing for a district employee navigating a divorce. They give young teachers the opportunity to pay down student debt or save to purchase a home of their own. And, they’ve offered a short-term solution for an incoming administrator awaiting the completion of a home he and his wife are building.

“It’s really, really hard to get administrators,” Daniels said. “It’s almost easier to get teachers than administrators.”

One unexpected obstacle Daniels is now navigating is decreasing enrollment. Arizona’s educational voucher system allows parents to draw from public funds and direct them for individualized education paths for their kids. Just as Chino Valley’s workforce housing was being built, the popularity of the program increased, drawing more and more students away from the public school system. 

When enrollment increases, districts receive more funding to hire teachers and support staff. When enrollment drops schools can face budget deficits that result in staff reductions, school consolidations, and even closures. 

Since Daniels is invested in keeping those tiny homes rented, she received permission from her school board to partner with public safety outlets and rent the homes to firefighters and police officers. Acting as a landlord isn’t the mission of any school district, Daniels said, but it is a new reality that she is learning to navigate.

“Everybody in our housing inevitably would have been able to find someplace else to live. It just would have been more stressful for them. So in some ways we have reduced the stress our employees feel, whether that’s financial or lifestyle stress. I think in the big picture, that creates more stable employees, more long-term employees, employees better equipped to deal with the challenges of public education,” Daniels said. “I want people to come and stay. If this is a way to have a more solid foundation and they stay, it’s good for the community, our schools and our students.”