Understaffed schools relying on creative staffing models—including hiring internationally—are scrambling for options in light of the new hefty price tag of an H-1B visa, one expert explains. Virtual teachers could help schools fill the gap.
H-1B visas for teacher staffing
In September, the federal government imposed a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. This restriction does not apply to workers who are present in the U.S. and whose employers request to change or extend their status.
School districts have already rescinded job offers made to international teachers. Districts were already paying thousands of dollars in fees to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Data from the California Department of Education suggests that schools filed more than 300 visa applications for the 2023-24 school year, according to CalMatters. Historically, international teachers are highly skilled and multilingual, and they’re crucial for filling understaffed positions.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District, for example, had hired roughly 88 teachers using H-1B visas in 2023. The majority came from the Philippines, Spain and Mexico to teach dual-language and special education programs, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Sylvia Greenwood told the news outlet.
A new solution
Filling teacher vacancies is a top-three issue among district leaders, says Hayley Spira-Bauer, COO/CAO of Fullmind, a virtual educator service provider.
“When we see winter attrition, with anticipated vacancies for the 2026-27 school year, there are districts that employ hundreds of H-1B candidates each year to fill their staff with talent they cannot otherwise find in their geographic location,” she says.
Shortages are driven by a lack of talent and distribution issues. Colleges are graduating fewer education majors, creating a mismatch between the number of available candidates and areas of need.
“Recruitment issues challenge many districts across America, but have disproportionately impacted Title I districts and rural schools,” she says. “Rural school leaders fear that their current teaching pipelines are going to be displaced.”
The next viable solution may be virtual teachers. Leaders shouldn’t compare virtual teaching today to the pandemic, when much emergency online learning proved ineffective.
“Remote learning during COVID is not the same as a high-quality, thoughtful implementation of virtual or hybrid learning,” she explains. “Instead, leaders should be asking, ‘If I can bring an extremely qualified teacher into any school in America, what would that look like?'”
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