Miami is banking on immigrants to help with the city's imminent teacher shortage

A critical shortage will be affecting students across the state of Florida soon, according to a recent study by Florida Tax Watch which uncovered that school administrators have been scrambling to find enough qualified teachers for the 2024-25 school year.

A lot of it, unsurprisingly, has to do with wages. The National Education Group (NEA) recently published a report showing that Florida ranks 50th in the country for teacher pay, report which Florida's Department of Education labelled "bogus".

Amid this situation, a program led by Miami Dade College is trying to provide a solution to with the help of the immigrant community. The program helps people who already had a bachelor's degree from another country and have permission to work in the U.S. improve their English skills through courses and obtain a teaching license, explains a report by Axios.

The program is seen as mutually beneficial, offering immigrants greater economic mobility while addressing the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce, particularly as Latinos comprise nearly 30% of public K-12 students but most teachers are white.

The program also provides opportunities for immigrants whose degrees are not in education to teach subjects in which they have expertise. For example, individuals with accounting backgrounds can become math teachers. The entire process of obtaining certification can be completed within 10 months, according to Carmen Concepción, dean of the School of Education at Miami Dade College.

"In states where we have large populations of multilingual learners, it's essential that we have a diverse teacher workforce," Elizabeth Zamudio, vice president of education at UnidosUS told Axios. Programs like the Miami one would help "get us there," Zamudio added.

Amid ongoing teacher shortages across the country, educational leaders are exploring various strategies. For instance, some school districts in Texas have begun hiring uncertified teachers on a temporary basis while in Denver, a coalition of educators has recently advocated for "grow-your-own" programs, which focus on recruiting teachers from within local communities.