Georgia school districts have spent at least $52.5 million in the last five years importing foreign teachers, mostly to teach math, science and special education, but the districts have not hired a single one.
Instead they use recruitment firms, which can provide a buffer for school districts who fear running afoul of federal laws governing the H-1B visa system. Yet districts elsewhere have faced investigations and lawsuits over their involvement in visa schemes. Here are several:
Prince George’s County, Md.
In November, the U.S. Department of Labor ordered the county schools to pay $4.2 million in back wages and $1.7 million in penalties for “willful” violation of H-1B rules between 2005 and 2001.
The district got into trouble when Filipino teachers said they were charged fees for their visas and were paid less than their American colleagues. Federal law requires employers to bear the fees for an H-1B visa and pay their foreign teachers at least as much as they would an American worker.
Louisiana
Filipino teachers in parish districts across the state said a Los Angeles-based recruitment firm charged them immigration fees and threatened them with deportation if they did not pay.
One parish district agreed to reimburse their teachers for the fees and set aside $400,000 for future settlements. The teachers filed a class action suit against the firm and the school districts. In December 2012, a California jury awarded the teachers $4.5 million and ordered the recruitment firm to pay.
Garland, Texas
For more than a year, the Garland Independent School District has been embroiled in a scandal involving the importation of Filipino teachers between 2008 and 2013.
Several teachers claimed they were required to pay a lawyer thousands in immigration fees for their visa. A district investigation determined the personnel director benefited from the misuse of the visa program by pocketing fees, taking recruiting trips abroad and funneling the immigration work and housing to family members.
The district offered refunds totalling more than $500,000 to immigrant teachers. The investigation is ongoing.
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