U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation on Mar. 12 to exempt Alaska’s public schools from a $100,000 fee for each H-1B visa, a charge imposed last year by President Trump. The bill aims to help address ongoing teacher shortages in Alaska by making it financially feasible for school districts to continue hiring international educators.
The issue is significant because many rural and urban school districts in Alaska rely on international teachers to fill critical staffing gaps. Without an exemption from the new federal fee, district leaders say they would be unable to hire enough qualified teachers, which could disrupt student learning and increase class sizes.
“As soon as this proclamation was released last year, I sounded the alarm with the administration about the importance of the H-1B visa program to Alaska’s school districts,” said Senator Murkowski. “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. This legislation offers a commonsense exemption that will ensure Alaska’s schoolchildren have access to more high-quality educators while keeping class sizes reasonable.”
Dr. Lisa Parady, Executive Director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, said: “International teachers are essential to keeping classrooms open across Alaska. Today, 573 educators, about 8.5% of the state’s teaching workforce, are serving on visas, and more than half of Alaska’s school districts rely on these teachers to staff their schools.” She added that some rural districts depend on visa holders for up to 80% of their teaching staff and that existing recruitment costs already range from $6,000 to $12,000 per teacher.
Other superintendents echoed concerns about the impact of the fee. Dr. Cyndy Mika of Kodiak Island Borough School District said nearly 20% of her district’s teachers are on visas and almost three-quarters of village teachers are international hires: “These educators are not replacing American teachers—we simply do not have applicants for these positions.” Tammy Dodd from Bering Strait School District noted that her district employs 86 international teachers—about 40% of certified staff—and has no alternative due to restrictions on J-1 visas.
Background information provided by Murkowski’s office states that President Trump issued a proclamation on September 19 requiring all H-1B applicants pay an additional $100,000 fee beyond existing costs. On October 8, Murkowski wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging use of waiver authority for K-12 education staff due to small budgets in rural areas.
Murkowski was born in Ketchikan as a third-generation Alaskan according to her official website. She has worked extensively on issues affecting Alaska natives and rural communities according to her official website, focusing legislative efforts there as well according to her official website. Murkowski holds degrees from Georgetown University and Willamette University according to her official website and represents Alaska in the U.S. Senate according to her official website.
Madeline Aguillard of Kuspuk School District summed up local sentiment: “Senator Murkowski’s legislation recognizes a simple truth: rural students deserve access to qualified teachers just as much as any student in America, and removing this barrier helps ensure schools in the most remote communities can continue to provide stable, high-quality instruction for the children and families we serve.”
