In Pricey Silicon Valley, Teachers Scramble for Housing

When Rachel Dallaire moved from the east coast of Florida to California’s Silicon Valley, she assumed her $15,000-a-year salary bump would allow her to rent a modest, but nice, apartment near her new job at LEAD Elementary in San Mateo.

The first-grade teacher soon learned otherwise: First, she tried to find a place within walking distance of the school, but the $3,000-a-month price tags were daunting. Soon, she was debating details she’d taken for granted before, like choosing between units with a washer/dryer or ones with an oven. It was tough to find one with both. Dallaire ended up settling for a small in-law unit in nearby San Bruno; it’s affordable and safe, but the studio layout means it’s hard to tell where her bedroom ends and her living room begins. “I don’t know how people do it without working two jobs,” Dallaire said, who tutors and babysits around the area to earn extra income when she isn’t preparing lesson plans.