Boston has occasionally sponsored H-1B visas for teachers placed in specialized subjects like Advanced Placement-level sciences. But the pilot is a more organized push that’s open to teachers in any subject.
“It’s quite competitive, normally, to get a position in Boston Public Schools,” said Jessica Tang, president of Boston Teachers Union. “But I think in this current climate where we have a staffing shortage — and we’re not even talking about just educators — we’re in a very different kind of context right now.”
Tang stressed that sponsoring longer term work visas should be one of many strategies to bolster teaching staff. She added the district should also focus on programs aimed at building up a local pipeline of teachers.
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