Tuesday, Feb 8 2011 6:15PM
A lack of housing in outlying Alaskan villages has forced two teachers to live inside a schoolhouse.
Two teachers moved into an Akhiok, Alaska, schoolhouse due to a lack of available residences in the rural community, reported the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
Scott and Janine Holmes, both educators at the Akhiok School, had to leave the home provided to them through the school district because of poor heating and asbestos. The house, according to the newspaper, was originally built as a summer cabin, but so far no other residence for teachers has been constructed.
Scott Williams, the director of operations for the Kodiak Island Borough School District, told the paper that housing is a concern for teachers in many rural regions of the state. The district attempted to purchase another home for Akhiok teachers during the summer, but Williams said the property did not end up being available.
The district is attempting to find other housing options for the pair, but Williams told the paper until then, they are trying to make them as comfortable as possible in the school building.
"We're never going to pretend it's ideal," he said.
Some rural villages are not only lacking housing assistance programs, but also basic community resources. In an interview with KTSK News, state Senator Albert Kookesh said he wanted to push initiatives such as expanding water and sewer systems and renovating community halls in order to improve living conditions in outlying areas.