By Teriza West, Fox23 News
TULSA, Okla. — Green Country Habitat for Humanity announced an expansion of its Education begins With Home program on Tuesday morning.
Representatives with Habitat for Humanity along with local and state education officials and community partners announced the expansion will serve eligible teachers from Tulsa Public Schools, Union Public Schools and participating Tulsa-area charter schools.
The expansion includes traditionally certified, emergency certified, and noncertified classroom teachers.
“It’s a game changer,” said Oklahoma State Superintendent Lindel Fields. “You heard everybody talk about teacher recruitment and retention. The real challenge in Oklahoma is not just recruitment but retention. When you’re a homeowner, you’re invested in the community.”
The Education Begins With Home program is designed to help Tulsa-area teachers build equity and become homeowners within the communities they teach.
“When we think about recruitment and retaining, we think about salaries and money. To say I thought about homeownership in this respect — no, but it’s no brainer. The opportunity is just significant. [I’m] just glad to see it happen,” said Fields. “For any young person, homeownership is a significant goal and challenge, so helping move some of those obstacles is just a game changer. It’s going to help recruit and keep teachers.”
