HIDOE survey reveals housing crisis still looms for teachers, school employees

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education released the results of its Employee Housing Survey administered last April, revealing that housing is a significant challenge for public school employees.

The online survey, distributed to all 22,541 salaried HIDOE employees statewide and receiving a 43% response rate, found that 35% of employees contributed more than 30% of their income for housing.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “Households are considered cost-burdened when they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, mortgage payments, and other housing costs.”

Alarmingly, 41% of employees are considered “retention risks,” meaning they are likely to leave HIDOE employment because of high housing costs across Hawaiʻi.

Among the most vulnerable are employees in their first five years of service, who are significantly more likely to be both cost-burdened (43%) and at risk of leaving (49%). Many of these early-career professionals are teachers or classified staff—critical frontline roles in Hawai‘i’s public schools.

One respondent said, “I have always felt that public school employees should have housing allowances similar to that of the military, especially in Hawai‘i due to the high cost of living.”

Fifty percent of HIDOE employees own their own homes, below the Hawaiʻi average homeownership rate of 62%.

Significantly, homeowners indicated they were less likely than renters to move out of Hawaiʻi (13%) than non-homeowners (28%).

Employees’ demand for workforce housing

The survey indicated that employees – especially non-homeowners who are a retention risk – are very interested in employee rental housing.

Teachers top the list of those interested, with the highest interest being in Mililani, Honolulu, Windward Oʻahu, West Oʻahu, and Hilo.

Sixty percent of respondents said they’re more likely to stay on the job if the state provided rental housing.

“I would be interested in a monthly housing subsidy based on my current salary/years of service. (It) would make a considerable difference in whether or not I stay in the DOE and/or retire later,” one survey respondent said.

The department concluded that housing assistance could improve employee retention, and potential solutions could include programs to assist with ownership and rental housing for employees.

HSTA continues to prioritize teacher housing. Due to the ongoing uncertainty at the federal level, Hawaiʻi lawmakers are taking a cautious approach to bills with financial implications, and as such, teacher housing bills at the Legislature this session have died.

Hawaiʻi relies on over 20% of its budget from federal sources, supporting vital programs like Title 1, SNAP, Medicaid, and Defense and given the recent federal employee layoffs and the potential for further reductions, including cuts to essential departments and agencies, the Legislature is prioritizing fiscal responsibility to safeguard our state’s future.