A rural Arizona middle school is preparing for the loss of roughly half its teaching staff after a new federal visa policy made it financially unworkable to retain international educators.

The Trump administration recently increased the visa processing fee for certain work visas to $100,000, a cost school officials say they cannot absorb. As a result, several international teachers at Indian Oasis Intermediate School are expected to leave at the end of the school year.

Cerelo Flores, a fourth-grade team lead at the school, is among those affected. "I am an international teacher from the Philippines," Flores said, noting the role international educators play in the school’s academic performance and social environment.

Principal JoLynn Begay-Lewis said replacing the departing teachers will be especially challenging because of the district’s location. "It is going to be difficult to find new teachers to come to our school because we are a rural district," Begay-Lewis said.

Sixth-grade teacher Irene Gilua said she has not yet told her students she may be leaving, citing concerns about the disruption it could cause. "If teachers leave, students lose the consistency, the trust, and the relationship that takes years to build," Gilua said.

While doctors working in rural areas can apply for exemptions to the increased visa fees, no such provision currently exists for teachers. School district officials said they are hoping federal officials will consider extending similar relief to educators, but no decision has been announced. (WKRC)

• A rural Arizona middle school is preparing for the loss of roughly half its teaching staff after a new federal visa policy made it financially unworkable to retain international educators. (KOLD/CNN NEWSOURCE

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