Waukegan D60 officials wary of future foreign teacher hiring; ‘It is risky to have that much of our staff, but … there is a huge teacher shortage'
With approximately 20% of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60's teachers coming from foreign countries, district officials are concerned about how the federal government's recent efforts to restrict educational visas might impact future staffing.
Board of Education member Christine Lensing said at an April 22 meeting, 'the safety (concerns) of individuals coming into the United States right now are very valid.' She wants to see a 'strategic plan' reducing the reliance on teachers from other countries.
Despite the uncertainty over immigration nationally, Angel Figueroa, the district's associate superintendent for human resources, said he is not concerned that the longstanding visa program with the U.S. State Department is in danger of ending. All approvals are in order before teachers arrive here.
'This program has been going on for more than eight years,' Figueroa said Monday. 'I do not foresee any change. Every teacher who comes here from another country is approved by the State Department. Licensure is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.'
The District 60 Board of Education voted 6-0 with one abstention to approve a $30,000 budget for Figueroa or members of his staff to travel both around the country and abroad to recruit teachers to fill vacancies during the April 22 meeting at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan.
Some teaching roles are harder to fill than others. Figueroa said bilingual teachers are particularly crucial for District 60. Approximately 50% of the students are English learners. There is also a need for diverse-learner, math and science instructors.
Of the district's 1,000 teachers, Figueroa said 216 are part of the international teaching program. Some Spanish-speaking teachers also come from Puerto Rico. As American citizens, they only need ISBE approval.
Though both Lensing and board President Brandon Ewing said there is a risk to bringing in such a large percentage of international teachers, finding people to teach students everywhere is a growing challenge.
'It is risky to have that much of our staff, but I do want to reiterate there is a huge teacher shortage … in Illinois, and we need a long-term strategy in order to repair that,' Ewing said.
Most of the district's international teachers now come from Spain and the Philippines. Figueroa said he is considering expanding the search to South America. Waukegan first started using the program eight years ago.
'Our goal is to have qualified, certified teachers giving a quality education to all of our students in every classroom every day,' Figueroa said.
Along with international travel, a part of the $30,000 can be used to recruit teachers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Figueroa said representatives of the district recruited at HBCUs for the past school year, and will likely do so again this term.
LaBaron Moten, the district's deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said Monday that there can be benefits with teachers sharing cultural backgrounds with students as they interact in the classroom.
'The district goes out of its way to hire certified, qualified teachers for all of our vacancies,' Moten said. 'There is value added when they can share life experiences with our students.'
With international teachers coming to Waukegan and other parts of the country, Figueroa said their visa for the program allows them to remain in the U.S. for five years. Since a teacher can achieve tenure after three years, there is a path to remaining longer and possibly becoming permanent residents or citizens.
Ewing said at the meeting that the district will help teachers who have become valuable members of the staff remain. The rules are not the same for everyone because, 'not all the international teachers we recruit are subject to the same things.'
'Right now, with the way the law is written, with the individuals who choose to stay we do try to assist if they stay for a certain period of time,' Ewing said. 'We help them to get permanent residency.'
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