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Fridley schools are expected to be short dozens of educators this school year. Without a plan, the district’s special education department would be severely understaffed. At least one classroom has no permanent teacher.
That’s why new Superintendent Brenda Lewis turned to international recruiting last fall. The strategy worked at her former school in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where a severe teacher shortage has made headlines in the past few years.
Fridley Public Schools has hired about 20 educators from the Philippines since last summer and will recruit several more to the north metro area.
“International talent may not be available in every region, but it’s a game-changer for us,” Lewis said. “Having the staff fully staffed helps everyone. You can’t imagine the difference it makes.”
School districts across the state, including Moorhead, Red Lake, Climax-Shelly and Willmar, as well as some metro area charter schools also hire teachers from the Philippines . District officials praised the strategy for easing the chaos caused by staff vacancies while also attracting experienced educators who can bring diversity and culture to schools.
Many schools work with talent agencies to help screen candidates and assist in obtaining visas.
Educators can stay in the United States for up to six years if employed through an H-1B visa, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations. School districts can also help their teachers obtain green cards—the country’s immigration laws allow a person to obtain a green card through employment if the employer cannot find qualified U.S. workers for the job.
“I know that sometimes school districts are hesitant to hire international teachers because people think they’re taking jobs,” said Red Lake School Principal Tim Lutz. “But that’s not the case with us.”
Dennis Specht, president of the Minnesota School Board, the Minnesota teachers union, said she has heard “generally good reviews of Minnesota’s plan.” But she said she knew of international teachers in similar situations who had been exploited in other states in the past.
Specht said the Minnesota Department of Education supports foreign teachers across the state, regardless of whether they are union members.
“While our union continues to work to make teaching jobs more attractive to Minnesotans, programs like these can be an effective way to meet student needs, fill open positions and relieve pressure on career teachers in understaffed buildings,” she said.
There are no candidates for the position
Lutz, who served as superintendent of Bemidji Area Schools from 2018 to 2022, said that two decades ago, an elementary teaching opening in Bemidji would have attracted 100 to 150 applicants. He said the area has been lucky to receive a handful in recent years. Lutz said hard-to-fill positions in science, math and special education often don’t attract any applicants.
“I do hope this is a temporary problem,” he said of the educator shortage, which he attributes to burnout after years of teaching amid a pandemic and various culture war conflicts.
But until local and statewide efforts can build a pipeline of diverse teachers from the community, students should have stable teachers with whom they can build long-term relationships, Lutz said.
That’s already happening in Red Lake, he said. Several Filipino teachers in the district are learning Ojibwe and are eager to share their culture with students, Lutz said.
“I want people to understand the tremendous passion and dedication that international teachers bring,” said Eric John Diel, a middle school science teacher who arrived in Red Lake from the Philippines in November.
“Our presence enriches the educational landscape by bringing rich cultural diversity and global perspectives that broaden students’ understanding of the world.”
Liz Windingstad, director of human resources for Willmar Public Schools, agrees. The majority of students who attend school districts in west-central Minnesota are students of color, and district leaders are looking for ways to bring in more diverse staff.
Last school year, Willmar schools hired five elementary school teachers on exchange visas, which allow educators to stay in the United States for up to five years. The new teachers live in a five-bedroom house donated by other school staff.
“My coworkers are very helpful and accommodating,” said Kat Cusa, a kindergarten teacher who has been here for the past decade. She said her colleagues were quick to help when she was sick or needed classroom management ideas. She recently brought her family to the United States, and her husband started working as a paraprofessional at Willmar schools this year.
“We did receive ‘Minnesota Nice,'” Cusa said.
Community welcome
Members of the Fridley Teachers Union also help raise donations for new colleagues and organize social events, including tubing. Many Filipino teachers said the biggest culture shock was the cold weather and snow, and this winter was considered mild by Minnesota standards.
The joke among Fridley employees is that the new arrivals bring at least some of the warm weather from their home country.
Several Filipino teachers live in the same neighborhood and say they have developed connections with the wider Filipino community in the area.
“We didn’t expect to have a whole community waiting for us, but it’s been amazing,” said Jessie Jane Marapao, a sixth-grader who arrived at Fridley Middle School in February Special education classroom professionals serve as professionals. “We’re here to teach, but we’re also learning a lot.”
Kusa expressed the same sentiment. Students don’t mind where their teachers are from, as long as they are caring and attentive, she said. She said she’s noticed the same thing among her colleagues.
“Teachers in this country are losing hope because of everything that’s going on,” Kuza said. “I hope people understand that our foreign teachers are here to help, to make a difference for every child, and to support other teachers.”
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