Our Home, Our Future

Our Home, Our Future
Ian Strever, principal, Housatonic Valley Regional High School 
Photo by Mary Close Oppenheimer

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” —John F. Kennedy

 

A good education is critical for children to develop their potential and thrive in our knowledge-based economy.

With skyrocketing housing costs, many families who would like to take advantage of the quality education our schools offer cannot afford to live here. The cost of housing is also a serious challenge for teachers and other workers needed to run our schools.

This has been a long-running issue exacerbated by Covid. The increase in part-time residents who make up approximately 50% of our households has reduced housing stock available for full-time residents.

An increase in short-term rentals such as Airbnbs and very expensive seasonal rentals has put more homes out of reach. According to the Litchfield County Board of Realtors, between 2018 and 2022 the area historical median housing prices increased in Salisbury 59.6%. The increase in Sharon was 79.7%, Canaan 173.6%, North Canaan 67.4%, and Cornwall 148.1%.

High housing costs have had a huge impact on families with school-age children.

The student population at our local public schools has been declining for years.

The number of students has declined at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) from 613 in 2005 to 300. Fortunately Salisbury Central School’s population has increased slightly since 2015 thanks in part to a stable population of private school faculty’s children who get free housing and a bump from families moving into town during Covid. In the past 10 years Sharon Central School’s population declined from 177 to 100.

Ian Strever, principal of HVRHS, said he recently purchased a home in Falls Village. He says, “At the time I was looking in Salisbury, the lowest-priced piece of real estate was $890,000. There is nothing remotely realistic in Salisbury on a public school teacher (or administrator) salary. Unlike in the past when teachers were part of the community, new teachers can’t afford to live here. Almost all live outside of the district in towns that have more diverse housing stock and options like condos, smaller homes and rentals. There is a waiting list of about 100 people for Sarum Village and the rare affordable free-market rental or small home here are quickly snapped up by local people who hear of the opportunity through word of mouth. If a teacher is new to the area they don’t have that network. It makes attracting and retaining qualified staff very difficult.”

Recognizing the challenge of attracting teachers to the state, Connecticut has established CHFA, a Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program that is designed to attract more teachers with below market interest rates and down payment assistance. In January of 2020 science teacher Kurt Johnson came here with his wife and son. He struggled to find a home he could afford and found that housing costs in Salisbury and Sharon were too high to qualify for the CHFA $325,000 cap.

After a lengthy and intensive search he ended up buying a home in Canaan.

While this is considered a wealthy area, 30% of the students at HVRHS qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. When our young people finish school where will they live? Where will they go when they want to move out of their parents’ homes and begin independent lives? Even traditionally affordable neighboring towns have become prohibitively expensive. There are no starter homes available for young people so they can remain in the community they love and where they grew up.

They are our future workforce and our town’s future.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Rhys V. Bowen

LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.

Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kelsey K. Horton

LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.

Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eliot Warren Brown

SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.

In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Randall Osolin

SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.

He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.

Keep ReadingShow less