最新杏吧原创

The Hazelwood School District solicited bids for international teacher recruitment firms last month after deploying numerous strategies to fill teacher positions since the pandemic.

A roster of job postings shows the district wants to hire 53 teachers and aides, but the number may not accurately represent Hazelwood鈥檚 needs. Administrators in recent years have offset the teacher shortage by leaning into remote education, with teachers broadcasting into classrooms from other rooms 鈥� and sometimes other states 鈥� to teach in-person students.

Responses to Hazelwood鈥檚 request for bids received through a records request show Hazelwood could pay $4,700 to $18,500 per international teacher, depending on which agency they choose and what services they opt for.

It鈥檇 be another potentially expensive Band-Aid to Hazelwood鈥檚 staffing problem. But they wouldn鈥檛 be the first to do it.

Riverview Gardens, 最新杏吧原创 Public Schools and Normandy Schools Collaborative have recruited teachers primarily from Ghana and the Philippines to mixed results. Administrators said the teachers brought with them years of experience and excelled in the classroom, but some parents have since complained students have to use their phones to translate for some of the teachers.

And the teachers themselves also endured hardships upon their arrival to the U.S., including trouble finding housing and food. Some also struggled to connect with students in primarily Black districts where large portions of students come from economically challenged backgrounds.

In an online solicitation for vendors, one vendor asked what support the international recruits would have upon their arrival, such as housing assistance, visa support and orientation.

鈥淲e have not completed our plan yet but will be having things set up for them upon their arrival,鈥� the district responded.

A district spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment Thursday and Friday.

Records show Hazelwood received six responses to its request for bids. Two were from law firms offering to assist with the visa process. Others were from recruiting agencies that specialize in bringing foreign teachers to the U.S., from countries including Turkey, India, Kenya, Venezuela and Ghana, among several others.

Recruiting from abroad can come at a steep price for both school districts and the teachers. So-called placement fees can range from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the agency, which teachers pay on top of travel expenses and fees related to their certifications and visa sponsorships. Some districts opt to incur some or most of the costs instead of the teachers.

The local districts who already have international teachers all worked with the same agency, Maryland-based Jobs Connect USA, which gave them the option to pay some or all of the fees associated with bringing the teachers here. Teachers told the Post-Dispatch they had to pay the fees.

Hazelwood has already spent hefty chunks of change to buoy itself as teachers become harder to recruit and retain.

In August 2022, the district contracted with for-profit education management organization Stride for virtual teachers to video into classrooms and teach students remotely from screens. Each teacher costs Hazelwood $93,500, plus $15,000 for 鈥渃urriculum set up,鈥� and $35,000 to $51,000 for an aide to monitor classrooms, according to Hazelwood鈥檚 . The practice was the subject of a that found teachers struggled to keep their students engaged while teaching from miles away.

Stride teachers now account for nearly 9% of Hazelwood鈥檚 high and middle school teachers, district records show, with teachers instructing students on math, science, Spanish and art. But Hazelwood plans to significantly cut down its use of Stride teachers.

鈥淥ur overall plan is to try to reduce our dependency on vendor provided supplemental instruction support by at least 50%,鈥� Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Keith Bausman said at a November board meeting.

Hazelwood also has what administrators call 鈥渧oluntary course assignment teachers鈥� who teach an in-person class in one room and a virtual class in another. The teacher rotates between classes so each receives in-person time.

A presentation to the Hazelwood Board of Education on virtual learning and recruitment efforts on Nov. 19 included a brief mention of the district鈥檚 intent to hire international teachers. There was no discussion among board members about the strategy.

Hazelwood is the 10th largest school district in Missouri with 16,498 students.

Teachers there earned an average of $66,183 last school year 鈥� about $2,600 less than the average of districts in the city, 最新杏吧原创 and St. Charles counties, but nearly $10,000 more than the state average.