Abbott wants H-1B teachers out of Texas public schools. Districts say they’re filling jobs Texans aren’t.

Texas public schools are already struggling to find enough qualified teachers, particularly in bilingual education and other hard-to-staff areas. Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest proposal could make that problem even harder to solve. 

Last week, Abbott announced that he wants the Legislature to prohibit Texas public schools from employing workers through the federal H-1B visa program, saying he wants “exactly zero” H-1B employees working in the state’s public schools. The proposal is part of a broader push from the governor targeting what he describes as foreign influence in Texas education, but for school districts, the practical effect would be removing one of the tools they currently use to fill critical vacancies. 

The H-1B program allows employers to hire foreign workers for specialized occupations, generally for positions requiring specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree. For Texas schools, that has meant recruiting qualified educators for positions districts have struggled to fill domestically, particularly bilingual and foreign-language teaching jobs. Texas school districts employ more H-1B educators than in any other state, although these teachers still represent less than half a percentage point  of the state’s overall educator workforce. Federal data cited by The Texas Tribune show more than 340 H-1B employees working across nearly 50 Texas school districts and charter networks. Dallas ISD employs 171, the most of any Texas district or public university, while Houston ISD employs about 30. These numbers are nowhere close to enough workers to replace the Texas educator workforce, but in the districts using the program, these teachers are filling specific vacancies that have proven difficult to staff. 

Dallas ISD made that point directly after Abbott’s announcement. The district said it recruits internationally only for critical shortage areas identified by the TEA and noted that internationally recruited teachers still must be properly certified.  It should be noted that federal law requires appropriate certification for bilingual instruction; this is one area where districts do not have much wiggle room. This line from DISD’s statement is instructive: “If the governor’s new expectation is to eliminate these teachers, then we’re going to need more Texans in the teaching pipeline.” 

The pipeline problem is real. Texas has struggled for years to recruit and retain enough certified educators, and bilingual education remains an especially difficult area to staff. Just last month, Southwest ISD announced it would pause dual-language programs at three secondary campuses, citing a “severe and ongoing” shortage of certified bilingual teachers. The district is continuing its elementary programs, but the situation illustrates the impact on student programs when districts simply cannot find enough appropriately certified educators. 

Abbott is also targeting higher education. In January, he ordered state agencies and public universities to freeze new H-1B petitions through May 2027, with limited exceptions approved by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Texas AFT and Texas AAUP have warned in the past that Abbott’s H-1B freeze endangered Texas’ future, particularly by restricting the ability of public institutions to recruit specialized workers. K-12 districts were not included in that freeze, but Abbott was already publicly questioning their use of H-1B employees. Now he wants the Legislature to go considerably further. 

The state-level effort follows major changes at the federal level as well. The Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions, an amount roughly twice the average Texas teacher salary and far beyond what most school districts could reasonably spend to recruit a single educator. Current visa holders and renewals were excluded from that new fee, but the change already threatened to make international recruitment financially unrealistic for public schools. Abbott’s proposal would close the door altogether. 

Supporters of H-1B restrictions argue the program should not be used to replace American workers and that taxpayer-funded institutions should prioritize hiring Texans. There is a legitimate conversation to have about preventing employers from using visa programs to undercut wages or working conditions. But that isn’t the situation school districts describe. Districts aren’t recruiting internationally because they would rather hire someone from another country than someone from Texas but because, after years of educator shortages, they have classrooms they cannot otherwise staff. 

And Abbott’s proposal goes beyond future recruitment. He said he wants the eventual legislation to apply to both new applicants and current H-1B employees, meaning educators already teaching Texas students could potentially be affected if lawmakers approve his plan. The details will ultimately depend on legislation that hasn’t yet been filed, and the Legislature will have to approve any K-12 ban when it reconvenes next year. 

That gives lawmakers time to ask a basic question: Who is going to replace these educators? 

If Texas wants fewer school districts relying on international recruitment, there’s a clear path forward.  

• Make teaching in Texas a profession people can afford to enter and want to stay in by improving pay, working conditions, and preparation pipelines.  

• Address crushing workloads and give educators the professional respect they deserve.  

• Invest in bilingual teacher preparation and other shortage areas so districts have qualified applicants when positions open. 

Until then, removing hundreds of qualified educators from Texas schools without producing anyone to take their places just makes the shortage worse.