Washington public schools hire some foreign teachers byusing H-1B visas
Francisco Size came to Washington from
the Dominican Republic last year on a type of work visa that each year draws
thousands of other foreign professionals into the state.
But the 42-year-old is not a computer
programmer or software engineer for the typical high-tech companies using these
visas.
Rather, Size works as a math teacher in
the Highline School District — one of scores of teachers across the state hired
on the H-1B visa.
While use of the visa in the private
sector at companies like Microsoft is well-known and hotly debated, less is
known about school districts’ use of the program. In fact, at least 40
Washington school districts have applied for H-1B visas to employ teachers and
staff over the past five years.
For example, Puyallup hired a
high-school English teacher from Jamaica, Seattle hired a special-education teacher
from India, and Bellevue hired a parent-outreach coordinator from Chile.
Districts say they use H-1B workers to
fill teaching positions with long-reported shortages in such areas as special
education and math. Districts also have hired foreign nationals as English,
elementary-school and substitute teachers. Like any employer using the H-1B
program, schools do not have to show a lack of qualified U.S. teachers before
they hire foreign workers.
Schools have had mixed results with the
visa workers. Some districts have not renewed the visas for certain teachers,
while others decided to keep these workers long-term by helping them get
permanent residency with employer-sponsored green cards.
Faced with laying off hundreds of
teachers and staff this summer, Washington public-school officials may find it
harder to support hiring new foreign workers.
Lori Simmons, employment director for
Federal Way Public Schools, said “in this kind of climate” she doubted her
district would hire an H-1B teacher.
“Districts all up and down the I-5
corridor are laying off teachers, and so we have experienced teachers looking
for jobs,” she said.
Each year, the U.S. government issues
at least 85,000 visas to foreign professional workers who have at least a
four-year degree. The process begins with an employer petitioning on a worker’s
behalf for a visa, which is valid for three years and can be renewed for
another three. Ultimately, most workers hope an employer will sponsor them for
the coveted green card that allows them to work permanently in the U.S.
Obtaining the temporary work visas may
be more difficult before long. At a time when so many people are out of work,
members of Congress have introduced a bill that would force employers to seek
out U.S. residents first before employing H-1B workers.
Cultural differences
Due to limited budgets, school
districts such as Seattle and Federal Way recruit teachers and recent college
graduates with teaching degrees from within the state. Other districts send
recruiters to job fairs across the country.
Highline School District is one that
goes overseas. It sought teachers by going to Spain through a teacher-exchange
program and to Jamaica through an agency that links districts with teachers
wanting to come here on H-1B visas. Highline’s trips were paid by either the
country’s program or a private agency.
Last year, the district hired Size,
from the Dominican Republic, at a minority-educators job fair in New York. “He
was a viable candidate,” said Don Waring, the district’s human-resources
director. “There aren’t enough American math teachers to go around.”
After spending $3,500 on attorney and
visa fees, Size landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport two weeks before
he was to begin teaching several classes of remedial math. Despite some
teaching experience in his home country, Size said he had trouble setting rules
in the classroom and disciplining students.
“I think I really maybe don’t know the
culture of the students, how they think, how high school [is] like here, what
they expect from the teachers,” said Size, interviewed in his utilitarian
classroom at Mt. Rainier High School.
Size said he became depressed, which he
brought into the classroom. Highline will not renew his contract for next
school year.
Now Size must scramble to find another
employer willing to hire him, or he must return home. Last month he interviewed
for a math teaching position at a Houston school that hires H-1B workers.
Surprise: visa’s needed
Seattle Public Schools has employed a
dozen H-1B workers over the past decade, many of them hired as
special-education teachers.
The district usually doesn’t know if
potential employees will need to be sponsored for H-1B visas until after they
are hired, human-resources director Brent Jones said.
The Pullman School District got
surprised, and stung, when it hired a graduate from Washington State University
several years ago, not knowing he was a foreign national.
Garren Shannon, director of information
systems for the district, said at least four people applied for an entry-level
job as a computer systems administrator. In March 2006, he hired Zhengmao
“James” Yan, who he said was highly qualified and enthusiastic about the job.
“[He was] different from the typical
applicant — the standard American kid isn’t as aggressively eager to work,”
Shannon said.
Two weeks into the job, Yan told the
district he needed a visa to continue to work legally in the country.
Shannon told Yan the district would
sponsor him, but he’d have to pay for the filing fees and his own attorney to
handle the paperwork.
But both were unprepared for the
laborious H-1B process. “It’s not for the meek and mild,” Shannon said.
Fearing deportation, Yan quit after
three months. The district had to start the hiring process over again.
Had he known the district would need to
sponsor Yan for the H-1B visa, Shannon said he wouldn’t have hired him: “I had
other candidates that weren’t as qualified but didn’t come with the costs and
work.”
For the Issaquah School District, the
hiring of Bettina Gehle of Germany on an H-1B visa several years ago was
positive.
Gehle, who teaches sports medicine and
other classes, has strong skills and a passion for the job, said Kathy
Miyauchi, the district’s personnel director. The district will sponsor Gehle
for a green card, with her paying the costs.
“We are looking for qualities of a good
teacher and that’s the same whether the person is a citizen or someone going
through the immigration process,” Miyauchi said.
Christine Willmsen: cwillmsen@seattletimes.com or
206-464-3261. Lornet Turnbull: lturnbull@seattletimes.com or
206-464-2420.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-public-schools-hire-some-foreign-teachers-by-using-h-1b-visas/
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