A Mountain View private high school wants to build a seven-unit apartment building for its teachers on campus, mirroring efforts by tech companies and other employers to provide for employees in a housing-strapped Silicon Valley.

Mountain View Academy submitted a letter to the city earlier this month proposing the 12k SF project, which would be rented at a reduced rate to teachers and staff to keep quality employees who might otherwise be priced out of the area. Officials at the private, 160-student Christian school see the move as an alternative way to recruit teachers, who already receive the maximum for salaries, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

The new apartments at the 360 S Shoreline Blvd campus would replace four dilapidated buildings on part of the campus, but the plan will need city approval to move forward in rezoning the site.

Similar ideas have been floated by other Bay Area districts. The South San Francisco Unified School District has looked at a similar plan to build staff housing on district property. Discussions are also in play in the San Mateo Union School District. [SVBJ]