On December 6, 2018, we held a Coffee Talk discussing the impacts of school choice on real estate development.  A special thank you to Bart Danielsen, our speaker, and David Ravin, Northwood Ravin and Nicole Frambach, Ryan Homes, our panelists.  Several of the take-aways are highlighted below:

• Parents care more about their kid’s commutes than their own.  Schools are known to attract more residents than jobs.
• Using private school choice to attack concentrated poverty, crime and unemployment – check out www.alec.org (economic development zone).
• Urban developments aren’t as likely to consider schools as a driver if they can choose private options.
• Suburban school choice is critical in families deciding locations, but there was a caution, that districts are always changing.
• Can schools be an amenity of a development?  Are there options to set up a priority system for a specific community if the developer provides some school funding)?
• How does education policy and housing policy mesh?
• Magnet schools encourage diversity in schools but not in neighborhoods.

To view Dr. Danielson’s PowerPoint, click here.