Rural South Carolina school district to offer cheap, group housing to entice new teachers

Rural areas often struggle to attract and keep teachers, and Marlboro County in South Carolina is trying a new way to do it. Located on the North Caroline state line, the county has 29,000 residents and one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. To lure new teachers, the school system is creating Teach House, a place where new teachers can live together for $100 a month, reports Seanna Adcox of The Associated Press.

Plans call for 12 new teachers to move into the restored, century-old home next school year, AP reports. "The idea is that the so-called Teach House will not only provide teachers a beautiful place to live for next-to-nothing, but also offer instant friendships and peer support," Adcox writes, while noting Marlboro County is still in negotiations to purchase the home and its 14 acres.

The house is just one of many South Carolina projects aimed at finding teachers for rural areas. In Fairfield County, Access House would provide apartments for new teachers and a veteran teacher who would act as a mentor, as well as space for after-school and community activities. The plan, which is in it early stages, would waive rent for teachers who also would be working on free degrees from the University of South Carolina. (Read more)