Since September, American employers have been required to pay a $100,000 sponsorship fee for new H-1B visas, one of several policy shifts under President Donald Trump to restrict who gets to come in and out of the country. But while much attention has been paid to what this means for applicants in California’s tech industry, the rule affects its public school system as well.
As Sophie Sullivan and Alina Ta of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network explain, K-12 schools employ skilled foreign educators, particularly to staff language and special education programs. In 2023, West Contra Costa Unified School District hired about 88 teachers on H-1B visas, most of whom came from the Philippines, Spain and Mexico. Even then, hiring those teachers required paying application fees ranging from $9,500 to $18,800.
- Sylvia Greenwood, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources: “With our shortages in special ed, they were a good fit for our district. … We kept that pipeline open and brought teachers here from the Philippines to support our students and our students with special needs.”
With the cost of hiring those teachers now exceeding $100,000 following Trump’s new policy, it’s likely those positions will be left empty. Without international employees to fulfill hiring gaps, the workload for other teachers will also increase, said one Ford Elementary School teacher in the district.
H.R. is a physical education teacher in West Contra Costa who works on a short-term J-1 visa. He and his family moved from Mexico to the U.S. three years ago, but he now expects to move back after his visa expires in June 2026 because the district is unlikely to pay for his immigration fees.
- H.R.: “Everybody says here that they need teachers in California … but they don’t want to do anything to (help us stay) here.”
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Other Stories You Should Know
PG&E secures another permit for nuclear plant
On Thursday the California Coastal Commission approved Pacific Gas & Electric’s permit to keep operating the state’s last nuclear power plant, but only under key conditions, reports CalMatters’ Nadia Lathan.
Located along the San Luis Obispo shoreline, Diablo Canyon provides about 8% of California’s total energy. Originally due to close this year, the plant remains open through 2030 following a state law passed in 2022 to keep Diablo Canyon operating. Because the plant operates within the coastal commission’s jurisdiction, however, PG&E still needed its separate approval.
The commission gave that approval on the contingency that PG&E also conserves about 4,000 acres of land on its property that would not be developed for any commercial or residential use.
The vote renewed debates about keeping the plant open. The plant draws in 2 million gallons of water from the ocean daily to cool its systems. In addition to the harm this brings to marine wildlife, environmentalists have also raised concerns about radioactive waste.
Proponents say the plant provides reliable, clean energy and keeps thousands of people employed. PG&E now awaits federal approval for a 20-year relicensing permit through 2045.
The price of CA water
A new report finds that California cities pay more for water than what irrigation districts pay to supply water to farms, write CalMatters’ Rachel Becker and Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett.
Cities pay on average about $722 per acre foot for water, compared to just $35 agricultural districts pay, according to researchers at UCLA and advocates with the Natural Resources Defense Council. One acre foot can supply roughly 11 Californians with water for a year.
The difference in water prices depends on the source: Water supplied from federally managed rivers and reservoirs costs far less on average than water from state-managed distribution systems or through water transfers, which drive up prices with each change-of-hands.
Researchers attributed this 20-fold difference to the cost of delivering water to cities and water transfers. The most expensive water in California, for example, flows from Northern California rivers all the way down to the San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency in Riverside County, which costs more than $2,850 per acre foot. Meanwhile, three California agricultural suppliers with rights to the Colorado River receive water for free from the federal government.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s critics exaggerate nuggets of facts to depict the governor as corrupt and incompetent, but there’s plenty of material in Newsom’s political career for legitimate criticism.
Berkeley has become one of California’s most surprising housing reform success stories, but its pro-development progress remains fragile, writes Rigel Robinson, former Berkeley City Councilmember.
Other things worth your time:
Trump administration adds militarized zone in CA along southern US border // AP News
CA delays wildfire rules that would force homeowners to clear vegetation // San Francisco Chronicle
Fed lowered interest rates Wednesday. Will CA consumers notice? // The Sacramento Bee
Fraud and theft are rife at CA’s county fairs // Los Angeles Times
Shasta election official Clint Curtis has certified his first election amid public scrutiny // Shasta Scout
All SF firefighters will soon have equipment free of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ // KQED
Roblox sued by Southern CA families alleging children met predators on its platform // Los Angeles Times
LAUSD student released from immigration detention after four months // LAist