There's a teacher shortage in Arizona -- and teachers from overseas are filling the gap

[groundloop]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: CBS News

A group of women from the Philippines came to Tucson, Arizona, to do a job fewer Americans want to do: teach. They share meals and live together to save money.

<snip>


There are more than 1,400 teaching vacancies in Arizona this year. Arizona ranks 45th out of 50 when it comes to teacher salaries. The average public school teacher in America makes $60,000 a year. In Tucson, it's $42,000.

"There's more vacancies than applicants. The pay isn't very attractive. We finally decided that it would probably be time to look overseas," said Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, the Tucson Unified School District superintendent.

Trujillo oversees the hiring of international teachers. "Where you may have two classes of 18 or 19, if one of the classes doesn't have a highly-qualified teacher due to the vacancy, now we have a single class of 38 students," he said.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizona-schools-hiring-teaches-from-the-philippines-amid-fight-for-more-pay/

---

Typical results of repub philosophy - working people don't get paid jack shit, they can't find enough qualified people to fill those positions, but damnit, gotta' have tax cuts for the wealthy.

[Sherman A1]

1. Interesting solution, however sad it is

That such a concept is necessary due to low pay.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'm a substitute teacher.

I have a second job after I teach as a cashier and even that's not enough.

[raccoon]

3. And then Republicans can complain about the foreigners taking those jobs. Nt

[IronLionZion]

15. Hell some DUers will too

DUers have complained that I'm stealing jobs and I was born here

[Grokenstein]

4. Just wait

Conservatives don't want Americans to have decent public education or affordable higher education.
What could possibly go wrong?
And now we're "looking overseas"--doubtless planning on yoinking that visa away and kicking 'em out before they can get too comfortable.
Again, what could possibly go wrong?

[Pacifist Patriot]

5. There's a much better solution to the problem.

Just fucking pay teachers what they are worth.

[Dorn]

9. Exactly, Exactly! Lets use the capitalist system and pay more when we can't find teachers

The BS that we have to bring in people from other countries because we can't find anyone in the US to do the job is baloney. People fall for theses lies and the message is we need to do something innovative to solve the problem.

Pay teachers more money!

[mpcamb]

17. Arizona ranks 44th in teacher salary.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2019/04/which_states_have_the_highest_and_lowest_teacher_salaries.html

[MurrayDelph]

19. 41 years ago, I was an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles

I came into the job three steps above entry-level pay because of post-graduate studies, and we received "combat pay" for teaching in Watts.

Two years later, I quit LAUSD to take a job as a trainee programmer. The trainee job paid 20% than one that required a degree and a license.

[Ron Obvious]

6. "to do a job fewer Americans want to do"

I'm sure lots of people would love to do it but can't make it on the wages offered.

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. No doubt!

[Farmer-Rick]

13. Yeah, it's the same stupid thing the filthy rich enablers say about farm workers

It's a job no American wants to do. We pay jack shit for the job, we may threaten you with higher food cost or higher taxes, but we damn well will never pay a decent wage.

It's all one big con. This is no different than bringing in scabs and Union busting. It's all about a feeding frenzy of tax free dollars, higher profits for the filthy rich and their politicians, preying on workers and crushing the life out of everyone else.

They use immigrants to crush the demands of workers, then turn around and villify those same people they brought in to work at slave wages.

It is a scam, a con a way to take away our national wealth and put it in the pockets of mobsters and the filthy rich.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

7. Low taxes means LOW pay and quality of life....

Wonder why Minnesota, despite having a more progressive tax rate, is faring better than Arizona and states with low taxes? Is because we can afford to have the NICER things.

Republicans have thesmelves convinced that low taxes buys more. It does not! Look at the states that have gone to pot because cutting taxes and salaries were top priorities? They have job shortages, crappy infrastructure, no school funding, shitty wages, etc.

Minnesota ranks in the Top 5 BEST places to live and do business in the US for the very reson that we here4 know where to invest the money and the results are paying off.

[samplegirl]

8. It's not just teachers

Cleveland clinic is bringing in Russian nurses at a lower pay wage!

[LittleGirl]

11. The property taxes

Are not low in Tucson so the corruption is key here. I left last year but I still vote in that county overseas. The duccy Governor is a trumpy along with McSally. Pot holes everywhere and in a state with 300 days of sunshine, they reduced incentives for solar energy. Stupid Racist GOP.

[NonPC]

12. McSally Is a Loser

McSally's only claim to fame is being an ex-military fighter pilot. Beyond that, she is only a failed wing-nut who was appointed by Ducey. I predict that she is going to lose again -- this time by much worse -- to Astronaut Mark Kelly. It will be nice to NOT see her blank face on the news -- usually posing with Trump or Pence.

[LittleGirl]

18. She's horrible

Never had a townhall in Tucson when she was a rep. I was so pleased when she lost but then Ducey appointed her and I was pissed! I was mad at McCain too for not giving up his seat for a special election. Tucson is a blue city so I hope in 2020 we can turn the whole state blue!

[NCjack]

14. The rich are taking too much money out of the economy. Raise taxes

and pay American citizen teachers instead of bring in cheap foreign workers.

[IronLionZion]

16. Americans will do it if the pay and benefits were better

Tucson is quite liberal and a college town so these Filipinos probably won't get too much racism against them. It's normally red GOP areas that brag about cutting taxes and funding. Then when foreign workers are brought in, it's "they took our jobs!".

[HelenWheels]

20. Wisconsin has a teacher shortage due to Scott Walker

Scott Walker became Governor and decimated the ranks of all public workers including teachers, He cut pay and benefits so severely what were good jobs became bad ones. Now the Repubs are saying anyone can be a substitute teacher even if they have never worked with children.

[azureblue]

21. this will blow up in their faces

wait until they find out these teachers aren't qualified to teach the subjects or their accents are so thick they can't be understood or the teachers do not know to work with American students or answer questions about the subject matter off the cuff. Then they will have to send the unqualified ones back but still pay the contract..

[McKim]

22. Part of the War on Public Education

This is the result of the War on Public Education. Underfund schools until they become dysfunctional. Discourage high quality educators by ruining their work environments and making it impossible to do their jobs with a decent level of sanity. Dumbed down schools, and now McTeachers from The Philippines!!!!

[Marengo]

23. McTeachers from The Philippines? You don't think Filipinos can be good teachers?

[JudyM]

24. Locking.

After a review by the forum hosts: this OP is analysis, which is not permitted in LBN:

Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.

Please repost, if you’d like to continue the discussion, in GD.