PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria Public Schools has made a huge turnaround from having educator shortages to a surplus thanks to international teachers. Now the district is sharing that wealth with other schools across the state.
According to 25 News, PPS is the only district in Illinois to sponsor a teacher exchange program, with almost 300 visas for participating educators.
Ten years ago, Peoria Public Schools had over 100 teacher vacancies at K-12 schools. Many students were taught by long-term subs for two to three years in a row.
To bring more teachers to PPS, the district became a sponsor for J-1 Visas, bringing teachers from other countries to Peoria.
“The benefits are having highly qualified teachers in the classroom, and of course, the kids are learning about their cultures. They’ve developed some deep relationships as well,” said Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat.
The first international teachers arrived in 2019, after four years of work to get the program started.
J-1 Visas are temporary. The international teachers can spend up to five years in the U.S. before having to return to their home country, or pursue other paths to legally stay in the U.S. Many are expected to return to their home countries.
The visa program has taken Peoria Public Schools from a shortage to a surplus of teachers. The district now sends international teachers to 10 other school districts.
When Kankakee entered the program, they were facing vacancies. Now, 26 teachers have just finished their first semester.
Kankakee’s Staff Engagement and Recruitment Coordinator, Stephanie Morgan-Harris, said it’s been “an amazing experience of collaboration and cultural diversity, global awareness, instructional enrichment.”
“It has been a wonderful process,” she said.
Though administrators view the program as a success, there may be a roadblock in its way. Due to changes at the federal level, about 100 teacher visas are now on hold, so Department of Homeland Security officials can evaluate the teachers’ social media posts.
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