Bilingual teachers have become one of the most sought-after talents, with the Dallas Independent School District pushing its recruitment efforts beyond state lines.
This particular force of teachers is important for diverse cities like Dallas. According to Dallas ISD officials, more than 70% of their students are within the Hispanic community.
“It is not only our focus, but also a priority to ensure that our classrooms are fully staffed with not just highly qualified teachers, but also those that carry the bilingual certification,” said Diana Castaneda, manager of DISD teacher recruitment.
The number of English language learners in the state also continues to grow. Texas schools have struggled to keep up over the years and the pandemic made that worse.
Despite the ongoing teacher shortage, Dallas ISD has come a long way in hiring teachers this year. Officials say at the beginning of the last school year, the district had nearly 700 teacher vacancies.
Currently, they’re 99% staffed, including a huge crop of new bilingual teachers.
“We’re very proud to not only serve as one of the largest school districts, but we also boast one of the largest bilingual dual language programs in the nation,” said Castaneda.
But they’re still looking for nearly two dozen bilingual teachers. Oftentimes, the district has to think outside of the box.
DISD’s recruitment department has recruiters that focus specifically on finding those dual language teachers, honing in on Spanish-speaking countries in places like Central and South America. The district even hired very qualified teachers out of Spain recently.
This fall, the recruitment team plans to travel to Mexico to connect with people who have already started the certification process with the Texas Education Agency, as well as recruit more potential candidates.
“Dallas ISD sponsors H1-B and J1 visas. We are one of the only public school districts in the state of Texas with a J1 visa designation,” said Castaneda.
Texas requires all teachers to have a bachelor’s degree and to pass several of certification tests.
For ESL and bilingual teachers, they must take four to five tests that can last several hours long, each at a cost.
But districts like Dallas ISD have been offering extra money and support to form a pipeline for new teachers.
There’s a $2,000 hiring bonus for all teachers, plus an additional bonus of up to $5,000 dollars for anyone with bilingual certifications. Salaries start at $60,000.
The district is even waiving certification fees for those who still need to get certified.
Meantime, Fort Worth ISD has also targeted bilingual teachers in Mexico for recruitment this year, so the competition for talent is real.
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