By Annie O’Neill EDITORIAL INTERN
The Big Sky School District celebrated the opening of six new tiny homes for teachers and staff with a Sept. 16 ribbon-cutting ceremony on site, just north of the Lone Peak High School tennis courts.
The units, open to teachers and support staff on a first-come, first-served basis, cap a decade-long push by the district to build on-campus faculty housing. Riverside Cabins completed construction in September ahead of staff moving in for the new school year.
The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation and the Big Sky Resort Area District provided $375,000 for the project. Big Sky Land Management, Riverside Cabins and Allied Engineering served as operational partners, working to get the homes ready before teachers arrived in August.
“When we started talking about teacher housing, the question was always how can we make our community more livable for the people who’ve come to work for us,” said BSSD Superintendent Dustin Shipman. “Staff are members of the community.”
Shipman said the idea grew out of a presentation by students in a building class who pitched a tiny-home project to the board.
Ciara Wolfe of the YCCF said the district’s commitment to housing has helped make it one of the state’s strongest school systems. Recently, that excellence has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report, which ranked LPHS as one of the top high schools in the state and No.1 for college readiness in 2025.
“We’re honored that we can do our small part in helping make sure that all of our educators and teachers can live in the exact community that they serve,” Wolfe said.
Jared Kelly, a new tenant and design and technology teacher at BSSD, said high costs had priced him out of Whitefish and Bozeman before he came to Big Sky.
“This has given me an opportunity to honestly stay in Montana and teach these kids,” Kelly said. He added that a shorter commute has made a difference in the classroom, giving him more energy to teach.
The six homes mark the latest phase of a housing effort school officials say has become central to keeping teachers in Big Sky.
