Most of the country has faced teacher shortages in recent years, but the impact has been particularly acute in rural Alaska, where remote living and middling pay have made it nearly impossible to recruit and keep teachers. It’s created a situation where it’s not uncommon for classrooms to start the year without a permanent teacher.
When the Kuspuk School District saw more than half of its staff leave during the 2020-2021 school year, officials turned to recruiting international teachers on J-1 and H-1B visas. It was the first in what has become a critical resource for filling the state’s teaching jobs.
“These educators have not only filled critical vacancies, they have become essential members of our schools and communities, building trusted relationships with students and families, and often remaining for multiple years,” Kuspuk Superintendent Madeline Aguillard said in written testimony to the House Education Committee. “Many of our international hires, particularly those from the Philippines, have shown remarkable resilience, cultural adaptability, and a deep commitment to life in some of the most remote and logistically complex parts of Alaska.”
Now, districts throughout the state are turning to foreign teachers to fill positions, particularly in hard-to-fill roles such as special education. But, they have not always been welcomed. At a news conference announcing his veto of the latest education bill, Gov. Mike Dunleavy insisted that districts wouldn’t have to turn to international teachers if legislators had simply approved his teacher bonus program.
“We’re going into the Philippines for teachers, OK?” he said. “I can guarantee you if we were paying teachers a recruitment-retention bonus of $5,000 in the urban school districts, $10,000 or $15,000 for rural districts, you’d probably get some really good teachers going out to rural Alaska.”
But not everyone sees it that way.
This week, in one of the final acts of this year’s legislative session, legislators approved a resolution affirming their support for this new and growing cohort of educators in the state, calling on federal officials to support the teachers and ease immigration barriers. House Joint Resolution 25, sponsored by Anchorage Democratic Rep. Genevieve Mina, passed unanimously in both chambers.
“These international educators not only bring their professional experience, but also global perspectives,” she said. “A lot of these educators come with many, many years of professional experience, often with master’s degrees and doctorates as well. When they come to Alaska, they do show their deep commitment to adopt the communities, and they help stabilize these local schools.”
Mina said that for as much good as they’ve brought to Alaska, international teachers still face barriers to coming to and working in Alaska. She said there are issues with delays in immigration processing and broad uncertainty about their future. Most teachers come through either J-1 or H1-B visas, which allow them to work but have limits. For instance, J-1 visas don’t permit individuals to apply for permanent residency.
Since the Kuspuk School District began recruiting international teachers, those teachers have become an essential part of many districts. Kuspuk operates four schools that are entirely staffed by international teachers, and all of its special education positions are held by international teachers. A similar story is unfolding in other districts, including the Kodiak Island, North Slope, and Bering Strait school districts.
Backers of the resolution said it not only sends a message to the federal government and Congress that international teachers are a critical part of the state’s education system, but also a message to the teachers themselves that they are welcome and valued.
“These teachers are valid and valuable educators, just like all the educators in our state,” Rep. Mina said during the floor debate on the measure.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
