Oklahoma schools bring in teachers from Mexico to address educator shortages

[babylonsister]

Really? Lock 'em up unless they're useful? Make this make sense.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2025/09/17/oklahoma-teacher-shortage

Oklahoma schools bring in teachers from Mexico to address educator shortages
06:30
September 17, 2025

At the start of this school year, Oklahoma schools had 1,000 unfilled teacher positions. To fill the gap, one school district started hiring teachers from Mexico. Santa Fe South Schools in Oklahoma City recently brought in three teachers from Mexico as part of a pilot program coordinated by an education non-profit called Fuel OKC.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Are they certified?

Do they understand the American public school system?

Will they be fired for speaking Spanish during school hours?

[Scrivener7]

2. And do they have to take Oklahoma's "dedication to the dear leader" test, like they were

going to make teachers from blue states do? I guess they don't have to worry about those hordes of blue state teachers coming to corrupt their children that they were expecting.

I literally laughed out loud at this. It's hilarious.

[BoRaGard]

6. Yeah, and are they packing Bibles?

No dogma, no payola.

[Norrrm]

51. Trump Bibles of course.

[Heidi]

10. Oklahoma has many workarounds for teacher certification.

Emergency teacher certification: https://www.ossba.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SB-1115-Emergency-Teacher-Certification-Guidance-1.pdf

Alternative paths: https://oklahoma.gov/education/services/teacher-certification/teacher-certification-pathways/alternative-paths-to-teacher-certification.html

[ClaudetteCC]

14. In 2006 SF south HS in OKC was 73% 'hispanic', in 2005 it was 64%, in 2025?

This is the HS but presumably the local middle and elementary schools are similar.

It might be that spanish language skills in teachers were what led them to recruit from Mexico.

https://www.city-data.com/school/santa-fe-south-hs-ok.html

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Did they have to sign a fealty pledge to King Trump?

[BoRaGard]

4. The Great Replacement Theory - republicon style

It's so slick when you have a golf cheat and pedo bestie as your leader,

[tanyev]

5. How long till those teachers get rounded up by ICE?

I can’t even.

[LeftInTX]

21. This whole thing is a face palm. They treat their teachers like shit.

Then, they get a teacher shortage.

Then, they bring in teachers from Mexico, who ARE NOT certified. (Teachers in Mexico have a totally different education tract than the US. My daughter's ex-bf mother was certified teacher in Mexico. She could only work as a teacher's aide here) In Mexico, their secondary education ends at grade 10 and then she went to college. So, it was mismatched and not worth the effort to become certified here.

Of course, they will pay them less than American teachers

There may even be language/accent issues between the students and teachers. Parents may not like it either. But i guess it depends on the district.


Then, ICE may show up.

[peggysue2]

30. Exactly!

The Trump regime is deporting Mexicans left and right and now Oklahoma of all places brings in Mexican teachers to fill a teacher vacuum?

Makes no sense.

I'm honestly surprised any Mexican citizen would be willing to come here after all the bigotry and abuse.

[Bengus81]

39. About the second school is out next May

[ck4829]

50. Good question

[sop]

7. And Mexico will pay their salaries, right?

[Seinan Sensei]

23. Prolly will need to build a wall to keep them in

[gab13by13]

8. Will the Mexican teachers,

teach the Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America?

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. Who is paying their salaries?

Are they CERTIFIED?
Do they speak good, unaccented ENGLISH?
Who is paying their salaries?
And most importantly,
ARE THEY LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ICE COMES CALLING?

[LeftInTX]

24. Not Certified. Public school teachers in Mexico end their secondary ed at 10th grade and go to college.

It's hard to get a US certificate if you haven't completed HS. They would need to get a GED, then go back to college and take classes. Would not be worth it.

They will get something called an "emergency certificate". My husband had one for awhile.

Accents could be an issue. They would be bilingual. How will parents react? However. It depends on the community (Indian Reservations would probably be more accepting than some redneck white area)

They will pay them less than US teachers. That's they whole thing.

I'm pretty sure they will get work visas.

ICE is unpredictable.

[gab13by13]

11. Sounds to me like they are non-union scabs,

but maybe teachers in Oklahoma don't belong to unions?

[LeftInTX]

26. Probably don't have unions.

Texas has mandated salaries, but no unions.

However, uncertified or "emergency certificates" will earn less than certified teacher.

They would be issued emergency certificate.

Basically, the are like union scabs because the state can pay them less than certified teachers.

[Jilly_in_VA]

47. Okie-homa

is a "right to slave" state, therefore no union. Therefore they cannot be scabs.

[LeftInTX]

48. But they skirt the state's minimum salaries. So in some respect they're like scabs.

They hurt legitimate teachers. Obviously teacher strikes are illegal in OK. They do have "unions" which act as lobbyists to assure minimum salaries and benefits. "Emergency certificates" will work for less pay and certified teachers will sit without jobs.

[dalton99a]

12. Kick

[Piasladic]

13. Unintended Consequences

What is going to happen when those kids start loving and respecting their Mexican teachers? Maybe they’ll develop some empathy their parents lack…

[Wednesdays]

43. As was pointed out above, the district is overwhelmingly Hispanic. nt

[lonely bird]

15. Follow the money

Some of the funding comes from the Walton Family Foundation which isn’t arbitrarily left or right.

Still, following the money is critical. Also, seeing if the teachers from outside the U.S. are subject to the idiocy of the whackjob who is president of the state board.

[JT45242]

16. They have been bringing in teachers from the Philippines for years

I have delivered Professional Development classes in Oklahoma several times over the last few years. I've found many districts that use teachers from the Philippines to fill shortages.

But as a twenty years teacher. Why would anyone go to Oklahoma to teach unless they were desperate.
Underfunded.
Underpaid.
Fascists running the government.

Would putting up Isaiah 10:1-2 fulfill the law or get you fired. "Woe to those who make unjust laws, th those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless."

The hypocrisy of red states as always, repulses me.

[travelingthrulife]

19. Decades ago, they tried to bring nurses in from the Philippines as cheap labor

to replace US RNs.

Philippine nurses were trained at US bases and they knew very well the value of a dollar so their little scheme did not work.

We got a lot of tremendous nurses and they did not bring our wages down.

[LeftInTX]

27. They still do. Although the bases aren't there, there is an "American school" over there.

[twodogsbarking]

17. I remember when Dean Martin played an American Indian in movies. Are they really from Mexico?

[travelingthrulife]

18. Seriously?

Irony is dead

[Ray Bruns]

20. So I guess they all have the proper visas and green cards allowing them to work in the United States.

Maybe someone should call ICE to check on that.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. But the loon state Education Superintendent implemented an idiotic policy to keep some teachers out

Oklahoma will require teachers from NY, CA to prove they back 'America First' (Aug. 17, 2025)

[LeftInTX]

32. The teachers from Mexico won't require certification. They will be issued "emergency certificates"

Academically, the certification process in Mexico doesn't line up with US certification.

So, they would come in as uncertified teachers and be issued "emergency certifications", which are used in shortages.

They are paid less than certified teachers.

[BumRushDaShow]

40. Oh I know

The ad hoc "policies" that they put in place to "own the libs" is the type of red meat crap that they feed to their base while doing something that is the opposite - "behind the scenes".

[Norbert]

25. Anterior motive. Are they being bought in

So that they can ultimately pay Herr Steven Goebbel's detain/deportation numbers?

[tinrobot]

28. That 1000 teacher shortage is result of bad policy and low pay.

Who in the world would want to be a low-paid teacher who has to avoid "woke" words such as slavery or evolution in the classroom?

Pay teachers more and stop micro-managing what they teach.

[LeftInTX]

34. Someone from Mexico who is willing for work for lower pay.

[tinrobot]

37. You get what you pay for

Oklahoma doesn't want great teachers. Their students ask uncomfortable questions.

[70sEraVet]

38. Right! OK is driving their college-educated citizens out of the state!

[Vinca]

29. Well, isn't that special? You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.

[ChicagoTeamster]

31. Just like Abbot's Texas DMV was requesting Mexican Truck drivers after reopening and granting them visas

That's how all the agricultural, construction, and meat processing workers came here. There was a shortage and now there is one again

[Martin68]

33. Surreal. Must be because they will agree to teach the Bible, and shun mention of LBTQ+ topics.

[Bengus81]

42. Yep...or be deported by sundown

[Ping Tung]

35. The irony is delicious.

[OMGWTF]

36. My friend's Chinese lesbian daughter was Teacher of the Year in OK City but left.

She ended up getting married, moving to Canada and has never looked back.

[kkmarie]

41. Gee I wonder what happened to the teachers

Walters Touts Alternative to Woke Teachers' Unions

Monday, March 10, 2025
Teacher Freedom Alliance provides a necessary free market solution

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Today, Superintendent Ryan Walters announced intent to lead the charge to offer a private industry solution to the far left-leaning Teachers' Unions that have infected our public education system for decades.

https://oklahoma.gov/education/newsroom/2025/march/walters-touts-alternative-to-woke-teachers-unions.html

[Bengus81]

44. Feel sorry for those with school age kids that are locked into staying in that State

This is what happens when the ultra nut job religious kooks take over.

[Upthevibe]

45. Kick. N/T

[dsc]

46. I am surprised that they didn't go to the Philippines

my district has several teachers from there. My school has 2 in our math department (out of 7), 3 in our science department (out of 5), 1 in our English department (out of 6). The Philippines is an English speaking country so these teachers are clear English speakers. But the education systems are rather different so there is a learning curve for them.

[ck4829]

49. Kick