San Antonio ISD looks to hire south of the border to deal with ongoing teacher shortage

As the national teacher shortage continues wreaking havoc, San Antonio ISD is recruiting bilingual instructors from south of the border to fill some of its 100-plus vacant positions, the Express-News reports.

SAISD's board last month approved a $325,000 contract with the International Alliance Group to recruit 30 bilingual teachers from Latin America. The contract funded by the federally backed Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program will outsource the J1 visa application process, vetting of candidates, and insurance to IAG, according to the daily.

Teachers recruited by IAG must have at least two years' teaching experience in their home country, hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent certificate and be proficient in English.

SAISD is looking to fill more than 80 vacant bilingual teacher positions at its schools, according to the Express-News. More than 7,000 students in the district are in bilingual programs.

The agreement with IAG will replace an existing program the state's 13th-largest district had with the Texas Education Agency's Region 13, which recruited teachers from Spain to fill vacancies, according to the daily.

IAG has already recruited 19 applicants to fill the district's numerous vacancies, the paper reports.

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