BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A unique project to help teachers afford housing in Brunswick County is moving to the next step. The commissioners set aside a portion of a parcel for a potential affordable housing project. Next, an environmental study will be conducted to learn if the land in Supply is suitable to build apartments for teachers.
Brunswick County Schools Superintendent Dale Cole appeared before the board of commissioners Monday night. He asked them to set aside 12 acres of a 98-acre parcel of county-owned land to become a teacher housing complex. The land was granted to the district to build new schools in Supply and help mitigate overcapacity at other facilities; the schools would still be built on remaining acreage if the home project comes to fruition.
READ MORE: Brunswick schools eye affordable housing for staff
Commissioners unanimously agreed for the district to proceed with design and development. It will include conducting an environmental study to check for land contamination, wetlands, floodplains, cultural and heritage impacts, etc., which Cole said needed to be done anyway for the school sites.
Chair Mike Forte asked what the district would do if the study proved the 12 acres weren’t viable to build on.
“Is there a secondary spot in mind?” he asked the superintendent.
“There is another 85 acres or so that we can pick from,” Cole affirmed but noted the acreage fronting Middle River Road provided easier access.
The school district wants to build 24, two-bedroom, two-bath apartments on the land. Cole said the central location is prime as teachers who live in Brunswick County would only be a 35-minute drive from any of the district’s 20 schools.
“It would be a huge advantage of our teacher recruitment,” Cole said. “As with many coastal communities, one of the difficulties we run into with recruiting new teachers in the first five years is, it’s difficult for them to afford housing in Brunswick County.”
Standing by the superintendent’s side on Monday was Vickie Smith, former principal of Union Elementary who retired and currently serves as vice chair on the school board. The Brunswick County Board of Education unanimously approved the project proposal last month.
Smith recounted from first-hand experience during her tenure as principal the normality of losing new recruits who could not afford to relocate to Brunswick County. The average cost of a home hovers around $400,000 countywide, while market rate rent currently comes in between $1,400 and $1,500 a month.
“If I was able to hire them and get them here, then they would have to leave after a couple of years because it just got overwhelming, having to work in the summertime, waiting tables in the summertime or doing other odd jobs even during the school year, to be able to go afford their rent,” Smith told commissioners.
Though a number wasn’t floated to commissioners on Monday, Cole said he expects the district would rent units for 30% below market rate, which could come in just below $1,000. Rent would be automatically drafted from a teacher’s paycheck and the apartments would be open on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The superintendent said this would particularly help beginning teachers, who earn around $42,000 annually. If required to pay the market rate of $1,500 monthly, that would account for 42% of their income. According to the National Low Income Housing Authority, anyone putting more than 30% of their gross income toward housing is considered cost-burdened, meaning it could eat into available money for essentials like food, healthcare, transportation and other needs.
Smith and Cole supported the affordable housing complex as a “win-win” for retention and recruitment. North Carolina Department of Instruction reports teacher attrition has increased in Brunswick County in recent years. It was at 9% in 2022-2023, before escalating to 10% in the 2023-2024 school year and went up to 10.7% in fiscal year 2024-2025.
Cole told the commissioners to bring the project to life, the district would take advantage of an interest-free, 15-year loan from North Carolina State Employees Credit Union. The bank has bankrolled similar projects in other parts of the state, including Buncombe, Hoke, Bertie and Dare counties. The latter has a 24-unit Run Hill Ridge in Kill Devil Hills built in 2008 and a 12-unit Hatteras Teacher Housing in Buxton built in 2011, with rent around $850 per month.
“Four of five projects in the state have been built by the same construction company,” he explained, noting it’s very “cookie cutter.”
Commissioner Frank Williams asked about procedures in place should a teacher who secured housing quit mid-school year. The tenant would not be able to stay in the apartment, a detail that would be mapped out in the rental agreement, according to Cole. He added other counties that implemented a housing project of this caliber did not have issues filling the vacancies either.
“Whenever they open up, what they have told us is that within two to three weeks, they have it rented again,” Cole said, adding teachers are also good tenants who upkeep their living spaces and do less damage to property.
Upon first reporting on the housing project last month, the district told Port City Daily it would not financially benefit from the housing initiative, with rent going back into maintaining the property. Nor would taxpayer dollars be used.
Cole detailed further to commissioners Monday the Brunswick County Education Foundation would operate as a nonprofit to manage the complex. The district did not respond by press to questions about how the foundation works, who is on the board and other items of interest; this will be updated upon response.
County Manager Steve Stone clarified to the board of commissioners that any final plans on the housing complex, such as requiring a lease or deed initiation, would come back to the board for approval.
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