Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced legislation to exempt qualified teachers from paying the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas imposed last year by President Donald Trump.
Many school districts have for some time now relied on this program to fill teacher positions across the state. Legislation introduced by Murkowski on March 12 would grant non-resident educators seeking teaching positions in Alaska an exemption from the fee.
“Our public school classrooms have been facing a staffing crisis for years, but teachers in Alaska on H-B visas have been instrumental in bridging that shortage and serving our students with talent and care,” Murkowski said. “This legislation offers a common sense exemption that will ensure Alaska’s schoolchildren have access to more high-quality educators while keeping class sizes reasonable.”
“The recent $100,000 H-1B visa fee has made it impossible for districts like ours to continue recruiting the educators we need,” said Cyndy Mika, Superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District. “Nearly 20% of our teachers are on visas, and almost 75% of our village teachers are international hires. These educators are not replacing American teachers – we simply do not have applicants for these positions.”
Tammy Dodd, Superintendent of the Bering Strait School District, said the $100,000 fee “puts rural Alaskan districts at a unique disadvantage, as we are unable to hire J-1 teachers due to the restrictions of their visas, so the H-1B visa is the only choice.”
“The Bering Strait School District employs 86 international teachers, which is roughly 40% of certified staffing,” she added. “With the new fee in place, the district would be unable to replace those positions with international hires.”
