CMS approves affordable teacher housing on 7 acres near Garinger HS
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board voted Tuesday to set aside seven acres next to Garinger High School for up to 138 apartments for educators.
The board voted to partner with Innovative Housing Solutions Foundation, a local non-profit developer, which would design, construct and manage the future housing community at the corner of E. Sugar Creek Road and Eastway Drive in east Charlotte.
“Our educators and staff are the foundation of this district, and if we want to recruit and retain high quality educators and employees, we have to support them beyond the classroom as well,” Board member Anna London said Tuesday. “Housing affordability is a real issue in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”
It’s the latest effort in the district’s “At Home in CMS” initiative, launched in 2024. It’s aimed at making housing costs more affordable for teachers, through rental discounts, pathways to homeownership and financial literacy resources.
Board members said Tuesday that the program is not intended to replace the district’s efforts to advocate for higher educator pay from the state.
“I just want people to understand that this is a ‘both-and’ kind of situation,” said Board Member Shamaiye Haynes. “This is a start to something – we know what our limitations are as far as teacher pay, so… we wanted to do something about our housing crisis in general, and I’m very thankful that teachers are going to benefit from this.”
This school year, starting teachers in CMS – a group which includes educators in their first three years in the district – will make $48,943. That includes state and local funding. Currently, the state sets starting teacher salaries at $41,000.
North Carolina ranks 43rd in the nation for teacher pay, lagging behind neighboring states like South Carolina and Virginia. The Education Law Center recently ranked North Carolina at the bottom nationally in state funding for schools.
While state legislators still have not officially passed a budget, lawmakers announced May 12 that they had reached a long-awaited agreement, which will include average teacher pay raises of 8%.
Tuesday’s plan includes between 100 and 138 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units for income-eligible CMS educators. Construction is projected to begin in 2027 and be complete by summer 2029.