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$6,000 boost helps draw educators to Jackson
By Sylvain Metz
[email protected]
Following a divorce last year, then-Natchez High School science teacher Josie Blake wanted a change for her and her 5-year-old son.
The teacher of four years wanted to leave Natchez but remain in the state and teach.
Because of her experience and science background, Blake was an attractive candidate to several school districts. The Jackson district, however, was able to seal the deal with something extra ? the opportunity for Blake to become a homeowner.
Blake, 28, now an eighth-grade science teacher at Hardy Middle School, is among a half-dozen educators who have applied for a housing loan program geared specifically for teachers.
Approved by the Jackson City Council last month, the program includes a city set-aside of $180,000 to provide a $6,000 loan to each of 15 newly hired teachers and 15 current teachers.
The loan can be used as a down payment or for closing costs. The loan will be forgiven after five years provided the teacher remains with the district.
Two applicants live in Utica, said Greg Kelly, director of teacher recruitment for the Jackson district.
Blake said she was drawn to Jackson because it offers her and her son more opportunities. "This is a challenging district that also possesses what I thought was a good ethic as far as education goes," she said.
If selected for a loan, Blake said she will use the money for a down payment on a home. "This is something some people only dream about. I want my son to have more aspirations than an apartment," Blake said.
Sherekia Womack, a third-grade teacher at Woodville Heights Elementary School, also is applying for a loan.
This is Womack's first year with the district. A recent graduate of Tougaloo College, the 24-year-old lives with her mother and grandmother in Utica. With a 35-mile commute, she starts her workday at 5:30 a.m. to ensure she's in her classroom by 7:30 a.m. "If I could be nearer to my school, that would be wonderful," she said.
Fellow fourth-grade teacher and program applicant Stephanie Luckett, 34, relishes the idea of owning a home where she and her husband can raise their 19-month-old son.
"When you buy a home, you are fulfilling the American dream. For me, it's somewhere and some place to call my home," Luckett said.
A teacher for eight years, Luckett earlier spent two years in Memphis. The city's school district offered teachers the opportunity to buy homes in select neighborhoods for half price.
Woodville Heights Principal Jalilah Dobson supports the program. "Any type of incentive you can offer helps with recruitment," she said.
"Also, having them move into the Jackson area helps the tax base, which benefits the city as well as schools."
To qualify, teachers must be first-time home buyers and meet income requirements. Kelly estimates 400 of the district's 2,000 teachers could qualify.
They must prove, through letters of recommendation, that they are involved in their communities, he said. "These are the people we want living in the city of Jackson."
The program is designed to keep teachers in the district longer, Dobson said. "The turnover rate is so high ? three to five years. They usually leave education altogether."
If approved for loans, teachers will have 60 days to find a home in Jackson and make the purchase. If a teacher fails to make a purchase within that time frame, he or she must reapply.
By Sylvain Metz
[email protected]
Following a divorce last year, then-Natchez High School science teacher Josie Blake wanted a change for her and her 5-year-old son.
The teacher of four years wanted to leave Natchez but remain in the state and teach.
Because of her experience and science background, Blake was an attractive candidate to several school districts. The Jackson district, however, was able to seal the deal with something extra ? the opportunity for Blake to become a homeowner.
Blake, 28, now an eighth-grade science teacher at Hardy Middle School, is among a half-dozen educators who have applied for a housing loan program geared specifically for teachers.
Approved by the Jackson City Council last month, the program includes a city set-aside of $180,000 to provide a $6,000 loan to each of 15 newly hired teachers and 15 current teachers.
The loan can be used as a down payment or for closing costs. The loan will be forgiven after five years provided the teacher remains with the district.
Two applicants live in Utica, said Greg Kelly, director of teacher recruitment for the Jackson district.
Blake said she was drawn to Jackson because it offers her and her son more opportunities. "This is a challenging district that also possesses what I thought was a good ethic as far as education goes," she said.
If selected for a loan, Blake said she will use the money for a down payment on a home. "This is something some people only dream about. I want my son to have more aspirations than an apartment," Blake said.
Sherekia Womack, a third-grade teacher at Woodville Heights Elementary School, also is applying for a loan.
This is Womack's first year with the district. A recent graduate of Tougaloo College, the 24-year-old lives with her mother and grandmother in Utica. With a 35-mile commute, she starts her workday at 5:30 a.m. to ensure she's in her classroom by 7:30 a.m. "If I could be nearer to my school, that would be wonderful," she said.
Fellow fourth-grade teacher and program applicant Stephanie Luckett, 34, relishes the idea of owning a home where she and her husband can raise their 19-month-old son.
"When you buy a home, you are fulfilling the American dream. For me, it's somewhere and some place to call my home," Luckett said.
A teacher for eight years, Luckett earlier spent two years in Memphis. The city's school district offered teachers the opportunity to buy homes in select neighborhoods for half price.
Woodville Heights Principal Jalilah Dobson supports the program. "Any type of incentive you can offer helps with recruitment," she said.
"Also, having them move into the Jackson area helps the tax base, which benefits the city as well as schools."
To qualify, teachers must be first-time home buyers and meet income requirements. Kelly estimates 400 of the district's 2,000 teachers could qualify.
They must prove, through letters of recommendation, that they are involved in their communities, he said. "These are the people we want living in the city of Jackson."
The program is designed to keep teachers in the district longer, Dobson said. "The turnover rate is so high ? three to five years. They usually leave education altogether."
If approved for loans, teachers will have 60 days to find a home in Jackson and make the purchase. If a teacher fails to make a purchase within that time frame, he or she must reapply.
