Fridley schools were expected to be short several dozen educators this school year. Without a plan, the special education department would be severely understaffed. And at least one classroom did not have a full-time teacher.
That's why the district's new superintendent, Brenda Lewis, turned to international recruiting last fall. This strategy has helped her staff schools in her former district, Grand Forks, North Dakota. In recent years, the state has been in the news for a severe teacher shortage. Since last summer, Fridley Public Schools has hired about 20 educators from the Philippines and is working to bring several more to the northern metro suburb.
“While international talent may not work in every district, it's been a game-changer for us,” Lewis said. “Having enough staff helps everyone. You can't imagine the difference it makes.”
School districts across the state, including Moorhead, Red Lake, Climax-Shelly and Willmar, also hire teachers from the Philippines, as do charter schools in some metropolitan areas. Leaders there praised the strategy for alleviating the chaotic juggling act created by multiple talent shortages, while also bringing in experienced educators who can bring diversity and culture to the school. are doing. Many schools work with staffing agencies to assist with candidate selection and visa processing.
Educators can stay in the country for up to six years if hired through the H-1 visa, which allows U.S. employers to hire professional foreign workers. School districts can also help teachers obtain green cards. U.S. immigration law allows employers to obtain green cards through employment if they are unable to find a suitable U.S. worker for the job.
“We understand that school districts are sometimes hesitant to hire foreign teachers due to the perception that they are 'taking jobs' from local candidates,” said Red Lake Schools Superintendent Tim Lutz. ” “But it wasn't for us.”
Dennis Specht, president of Education Minnesota, the state's teachers union, said he has heard “generally laudatory reviews of Minnesota's programs,” but has seen exploitation in other states in the past and similar programs. He said he also knows of foreign teachers who have fallen into the situation. The union supports foreign teachers across the state, whether they are union members or not, she said.
“Our union continues to work to make teaching jobs more attractive to Minnesotans, but programs like this one can help meet the needs of students, fill open jobs, and address staffing shortages.” “This could be an effective way to reduce pressure on career teachers in the building,” Specht said.
Jobs without candidates
Lutz, a former superintendent of Bemidji Area Schools, said 20 years ago, an opening for an elementary school teacher in Bemidji would attract 100 to 150 applicants. In recent years, the district has been lucky to receive even a handful, he said. Hard-to-fill jobs in science, math and special education classrooms often drew no applicants.
“I hope this is a temporary problem,” Lutz said of the educator shortage, attributing it to burnout after years of teaching through the pandemic and various culture war clashes. But until local and statewide efforts build a pipeline of diverse teachers from the community, students need consistent teachers with whom they can build long-term relationships, he said. . That's already happening, he said. Several of Red Lake's Filipino teachers are committed to learning the Ojibwe language and are eager to share their culture with their students.
“I want people to see the immense passion and dedication that foreign teachers bring,” said Eric John Diehl, a middle school science teacher who came to Red Lake from the Philippines in November. “Our presence brings a rich cultural diversity and global perspective that enriches the educational environment and broadens our students' understanding of the world.”
Liz Windingstad, director of human resources for Willmar Public Schools, agreed. The majority of students attending schools in Midwest Minnesota are students of color, and district leaders are looking for ways to hire more diverse staff. Last year, Willmar schools hired five elementary school teachers on exchange visas, which allow educators to stay in the U.S. for up to five years.
Last school year, the teachers lived together in a five-bedroom house in Willmar, which other school officials helped furnish with donations.
“My colleagues are really nice and kind,” said Kat Kusa, a kindergarten teacher at Willmar who started last year. She said her colleagues were quick to help when she got sick or needed ideas for how to manage her classroom. She recently brought her family to the United States, and her husband started working as a paraprofessional at Willmar schools this year.
“We definitely won 'Minnesota Nice,'” she said.
welcome to the community
Members of Fridley's teachers union also helped collect donations and organize social events such as snow tubing for their new colleagues. Many Filipino teachers said the biggest culture shock was the cold, snow and the fact that this winter is considered mild by Minnesota standards. The running joke among Fridley's staff is that the newcomers have brought at least some of their home country's warmer climate with them.
He said some of Fridley's Filipino teachers live on the same block and have ties to the broader Filipino community in the area.
“We didn't expect the entire community to be waiting for us, but it's been amazing,” said Jesse, who arrived in February to work as a paraprofessional in the sixth-grade special education classroom at Fridley Middle School.・Jane Marapao said. “We're here to teach, but we're also learning a lot.”
Kusa expressed a similar opinion. She said students don't care where her teachers come from as long as they are considerate and attentive. She's noticed the same from her colleagues, she said.
“Teachers in this country are losing hope because so much is happening,” Kusa said. “We want people to understand that our foreign teachers are here to help, make a difference for each child and support other teachers.”