How International Recruitment is Helping Fill Florida Classrooms

For more than a decade now, school administrators across the country can count on an urgent search every year to find enough teachers to fill their vacancies. School districts like Lee County are turning to foreign teachers to help relieve this labor problem. The growing workforce is proving to be critical to some schools. WGCU’s Sandra Victorova joins us now with the story. Sandra, this international recruitment effort is very important for Lee County Schools. That's correct. Jennifer Lee County started to bring in international teachers about four years ago. It began with eight schools. Now you'll find foreign teachers in 27 schools. One administrator told us they have been a lifesaver. Now there are calls nationwide to undo recent federal action that makes it harder for these international teachers to put down long term roots in the US. What is organization they've made from so good? When we first met Lebanon Mensah in the summer of 2024, she called teaching in the U.S. a long time dream. I'm excited about everything. Despite her eagerness this season, science teacher from Africa had worries about succeeding in the southwest Florida classroom. I'm most nervous about the classroom management and then my accent. I've realized that, I speak differently. I'm right here now. A year and a half later, Mensah is not only adapting to Fort Myers Middle School, but thriving. It's very fun. I've been winning awards. Teacher of destination Golden Apple. So is I've been coaching and that's something I do for fun. So I've been a cross-country coach. I've been a track coach. I help with soccer, I hope I help with volleyball. She also earned some fans in the sixth grade class like Na, Ava Canova. I didn't really understand anything until she came in and started teaching about mass volume forces. And then that's when I started understanding more about the topic. And that's how my grade improved a lot, because like, I used to suck very badly as science until like now, I'm very great at it. School districts say this program is especially helpful for subjects that face teacher shortages, like math and science, and particularly in rural communities. At the same time, it allows for teachers to develop more effective teaching skills that they can bring back to their home countries. Principal Brian Gibson says international teachers have filled critical vacancies in his school. I think, this program is valuabl You know, not just with Miss Mensah, but with other international teachers that we have here. They bring a a level of value, and experience, that go with beyond measure. It's helping the district as well. In the 20 2223 academic year, the county recruited 20 international teachers. Today, it has more than 130. Janet Morris leads international teacher recruitment for Lee County schools. These are all certified teachers. They're all experienced teachers. They cannot be a first year teacher coming into this program. And, you know, if we didn't have that 131 that we have, we would be searching for others. Could we make that number? We would hope so. Mensah calls this a life changing opportunity. Apart from the learning, they pay more. That is the honest truth. Mensah, a mother of two boys, says she's earning ten times what she'd get in Ghana. When you factor in our country's exchange rate, her J-1 visa, made possible with the school district's help, allows her to stay three years. She hopes to get that extended to five, but beyond that is impossible. And I wouldn't want to stay here illegally. So is whether we do the right thing and then. Yeah. Mensah says international teachers and school districts would benefit by allowing for a longer stay. Mensah says it can take years for educators to learn the new teaching methods so they can be effective in American classrooms. Longer teacher stays used to be possible through the H-1b visa. A pathway to a green card. But Congress recently capped how many H-1b visas could be issued. And the Trump administration raised their cost. We spoke to Laura Bartlett, an associate professor of education at the University of California and author of the book Migrant Teachers How American Schools Import Labor. It used to cost, school districts, about two to maybe $5,000, depending on the size of the district, to get that H-1b visa. But in September, the Trump administration changed that visa fee to $100,000, $100,000 to hire a teacher. Public school districts can't afford $100,000 to hire a teacher. And so they're pushed more and more to use the J-1 visa. The cultural exchange visa. And the number one thing it does is cause us to have higher rates of turnover in our school because teachers can't stay and they can't become permanent teachers in our schools. A lawsuit is challenging this federal action to make it easier for teachers to access an H-1b visa so teachers can remain in their communities. We know that with you hold everything else constant, that higher rates of teacher turnover mean lower rates of student achievement and student outcomes. So we do a disservice to our schools and our students if we don't seek to create, stability and the teacher workforce in their schools. Local school administrators say the cultural exchange has been a blessing. Toni Washington Knight is Messi's vice principal. Somewhere along the way, she adopted me as her of school mom. I adopted her as my school daughter. And so we have that unique relationship with one another. So we have good eye touch. It will be hard to be accepted because I'm from Africa, but the admin here proved everything wrong. I felt maybe because I'm coming from that area and I have enough things, it would be hard to even make friends. And there's no shortage of friends in the classroom either. She's taught me more than any other teacher had ever taught me in my life. She's like a best friend, like a best buddy study friend for me. The school district hopes to add another 30 international teachers this coming school year. They hope to get some Spanish speakers in the coming years. That is a great story. And Sandra Victorova. I have to acknowledge that you will be leaving. This is your last full day at WGCU. You are pursuing some matters that are close to your heart, including your family and and some other media opportunities. Yes, family. My parents, they need more support, a little more help right now. So I'm excited about that. I'm excited to launch a podcast. Yeah, please hold for sunshine. It'll have inspiring stories. People have overcome great obstacles to achieve great success personally in their business life. So I'll be sharing a little bit of that with the team soon. So I'm excited about that and I am excited for you, Jennifer. You know, you are so I love you my dear. I like her so dear to me and you are just doing a fantastic job leading the team five days a week. I'm excited to see all the great things you you will do. I cherish you, I cherish this entire team. So grateful to WGCU for allowing me to serve as Senior Producer and host for the inaugural year of InFocus, and another exciting things to come. So I will miss you and I will miss Southwest Florida. But I'll be back. You're not getting away from us that easy. Sandra and I have known each other. I think it's been 30 years since we first started as young journalists in Cape Coral. And you are not going far. So I think your podcast is going to be a hit. You're going to have amazing guests on and, find me on Facebook and Instagram. True. That's true. And you also have a documentary you're working on. I'll be back for that too. That's right. So you are not leaving. So I will just. I won't say goodbye. I'll say not. Well, of how it's farewell for now. Yes. So thank you so much. Thank you Jennifer, and think it's joining us.