Description
Education Workforce Housing (EWH) Guided Site Tour
The Acacia in Palo Alto
Description
This three-hour, in-person event allows attendees to tour and delve into the creation of the beautiful 110-unit Acacia workforce housing development, which opened in 2025. In addition to the guided site tour, the event includes a panel with the developers and property managers, Q&A and a networking lunch.
The Acacia is a notable example of how multiple agencies can collaborate to meet their shared need to attract and retain educators: employees from eight districts and one community college district can live in The Acacia. The County of Santa Clara offered its land for this development, which is located centrally in one of the main shopping areas of Palo Alto, blocks from the Caltrain station.
Why attend
As high housing costs continue to push educators out of communities across California and impact student achievement, EWH is increasingly seen as a strategic approach to improving recruitment, retention, and long-term fiscal sustainability. However, there’s a dramatic difference between hearing about EWH and seeing an actual operating development. This tour will make EWH real for attendees, provide inspiration, and allow invaluable insight into what goes into bringing such a development to life.
How it relates to your role
Board member, superintendent and senior administration leadership is essential for initiating and guiding an Education Workforce Housing initiative. From setting your vision and priorities to aligning resources and partnerships, governance teams play the leading role in developing long-term strategic solutions to workforce challenges.
What participants receive
Participants leave the workshop with:
- A guided tour of a completed EWH development
- Detailed insight and advice from developers and property developers who built and operate the development
- Resources to support next-step planning
Learning objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Analyze a completed EWH development and draw lessons applicable to their own local educational agency
- Identify appropriate next steps for their own exploration of EWH
Schedule
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
9:30 a.m. | Registration opens
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | Guided site tour
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Panel discussion with developers and property managers
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Q&A and next steps
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch and networking
Registration fee includes materials and lunch.
LOCATION:
The Acacia
Community Room
231 Grant Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Registration: $200
Registration closes on November 16, 2026.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
CSBA encourages substitutions from within a district or organization. Please send substitution requests via email to register@csba.org.
If an attendee is unable to make an event or make a substitution, the following applies:
- Up to five (5) business days prior to the event, with written notice, registrants may cancel for a full refund. Please send cancellation requests via email to register@csba.org. Telephone requests cannot be honored.
- Cancellations or transfers received within five (5) business days of the event are not eligible for a refund as preparations have been made on your behalf.
- There are no refunds for no-shows.
CSBA reserves the right to cancel any training event where the number of registrants does not meet our minimum requirement.
Questions may be directed to EdWorkforceHousing@csba.org.