Per Policy DO – Telluride School District Affordable Housing Policy, Telluride School District (the District) will use available Employee Housing to best serve the District and endeavor to balance the need for recruitment and retention. As such, specific housing units may be rented or sold as the Superintendent determines what is in the best interest of the District. Previous offerings of rental or sale will not bind the District to make the same decision in the future for a specific unit. This document is for the purpose of communicating with the employees of the District the process that will be used to make these determinations, but it is also understood that they may be changed from time to time as needs of the District change and is not binding.

Priority for Assigning Units to Employees

1. Newly recruited employees with temporary visas (i.e.; Dual Language recruits) will be given first priority on any vacant units.
2. Newly recruited employees from outside the region (i.e.; >90 minutes away) will be given second priority for any vacant units.
3. Newly recruited employees from inside the region (i.e.; <90 minutes away) without current housing will be given third priority for any vacant units.
4. Established employees will be given fourth priority for any vacant units.
5. Multiple employees may be assigned to a multi-bedroom unit. In the event multiple employees are not assigned to a multi-bedroom unit, an employee may share their unit with non-employee roommate(s) until such time as the district assigns additional employee(s) to that unit. All non-family roommates are subject to housing authority and Superintendent approval.
6. The superintendent will maintain an occupancy list of units and unit type (bedrooms) showing employees assigned to units, as well as a waitlist of employees desiring units.

Lease Lengths and Exiting Units

1. All written leases will be for one-year terms, but employees will be eligible for lease renewals as described below.
2. Lease renewals:
   • Employees on temporary visas (i.e.; Dual Language teachers);
     • The lease shall be renewed each year until the end of their temporary visa.
     • If the temporary visa is extended, the lease shall be renewed to the end of the temporary visa extension, plus up to the following June 30 if they continue to be employed with the district.
     • If the employee receives notice of Permanent Residency, their lease shall be renewed until the June 30 after their Permanent Residency is finalized.
   • Employees with U.S. Citizenship or established Permanent Residency;
     • Employees will initially receive a one-year lease, with a guaranteed renewal for a second year, except as noted in (4. Termination) below.
     • If the employee can provide evidence that they have been actively seeking alternative housing without success, and there is not a known demand for units (i.e.; several anticipated openings), the employee may submit a written request for a one-year lease renewal by January 1 of the second year. The employee will be notified by January 31 regarding approval of their request.
     • Additional renewals (beyond three years total) will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances.
3. Exiting from Rentals
   • Any employee who is not on a temporary visa and has not been actively seeking alternative housing should plan to exit the unit after their first two years.
4. Termination
   • A rental lease will be terminated 30 days after an employee terminates with the district.
   • A rental lease may be terminated with 30 days’ notice if an employee is in violation of conditions of the lease.

Roommates

For multi-bedroom units, the district may assign roommates to share those units with each roommate being assigned to an individual bedroom. The district may assign a new roommate to any unoccupied bedroom in the unit during standing lease terms without prior notice. While the district will make reasonable efforts to match roommates for compatibility, roommates are responsible for getting along and resolving any disagreements. If the district needs to intervene, they will act as a binding arbiter on any disagreement, with that decision being the final decision on the matter. Such decisions do not constitute grounds for a tenant to break their lease.

The following sections address specific aspects of shared housing:

• Common spaces: Roommates will be considerate of the shared living spaces, such as the living room, kitchen, laundry room, shared closets, garage, and parking areas. These common areas of the apartment will be cleaned after use and respected. Each roommate is expected to clean up after themselves in all common spaces. In addition, roommates will respect others belongings located in common spaces. Each roommate has the obligation to do their share of chores including washing dishes, vacuuming floors, and taking out trash.
• Living room and dining space: Furnishings in these common spaces such as TVs, couches and tables will be by mutual agreement. Established furnishings from roommates with seniority in the unit have priority unless mutually agreed upon otherwise.
• Kitchen: Kitchen space will be shared by all roommates with the expectation that each roommate will clean up after each use. Roommates will work out the common use of cooking equipment, dishes and utensils. Refrigerator space will be shared between roommates. Roommates will not use others' groceries without permission.
• Pantry space: The pantry has three distinct sections, one for each roommate.
• Laundry space: The laundry space has three separate cabinets, one for each roommate. Roommates will remove their laundry from the washer and dryer in a timely manner.
• Garage: The garage has three sets of shelves, one for each roommate. Items such as bikes, skis, and other gear may be stored in this shared space. However, these items should be stored so that all roommates can easily access their items, allowing free access to all areas and not blocking any of the doors per fire code.
• Mechanical room: No items are to be stored in the mechanical room per fire code.
• Extra appliances: Extra appliances such as freezers may be located in the garage as space allows.
• Carport Parking: The carport will be reserved for parking by the roommate with the most seniority in the unit. If two roommates have equal seniority, the facilities coordinator will flip a coin. Tenants may agree among themselves on a shared schedule, but the roommate with the highest seniority will still be on record with the district as having the carport reserved.
• Visitors and guests: Roommates will give reasonable notice to other roommates when they plan to have visitors or guests over.
• Pets: Roommates who have pets will keep them under control, out of other roommates’ spaces and in common spaces only by mutual agreement. Visiting pets, pet sitting, or pets and animals of visitors and guests are not allowed.

The district may revise roommate procedures at any time.

Superintendent Unit

1. The Gold Run Unit shall be reserved for the Superintendent.
2. If the Superintendent chooses not to occupy the unit, it shall revert to the criteria above, with the caveat that the lease length shall always be limited to one-year, making the unit available for a potential incoming Superintendent.
3. Whenever the Superintendent occupies District housing for rent, the Board of Education will conduct all negotiations and extend a contract at their sole discretion. By this process the Superintendent is never considered to have a conflict of interest in serving on the Housing Committee.

Rental Rates

The following criteria will be used as a basis for decisions in selecting staff for purchase of units: As deed restricted District-owned condominium units and single-family homes become available for purchase by Telluride School District employees, an application will be made available to all employees, and the following factors will be considered in determining eligibility and priority for purchase:

1. District personnel needs
2. Length of employment with the district
3. Ownership of other property in the R-1 School District

The process for notifying employees and selecting a buyer shall be as follows:

• Employees will be notified of any unit available for sale/resale within 30 days of the district knowing and deciding that unit is for sale/resale. This could be noticed anytime of the year.
• Applications for purchase will be accepted for 21 days after notification.
• Each applicant will be evaluated on a specific rubric developed by the Housing Committee based on the needs of the District.
• The Housing Committee will convene within 10 days of the end of the application period and review all applications based on the rubric.
• The Housing Committee will develop a recusal process to handle conflicts of interest on the Housing Committee.

Final selections of applicants will be made by the Superintendent after consultation with the Housing Committee. The Superintendent shall set forth in writing the reason(s) for the selections approved, and shall provide a copy of such written reason(s) to the Board of Education.

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