Federal complaint: Filipino teachers held in 'servitude'

BATON ROUGE — It has been more than two years since Ingrid Cruz aced a middle-of-the-night video interview in Manila, borrowed $10,000 from her parents and flew halfway around the world to take a job here teaching middle school science.

She was seeking that most American of dreams: a new life, and opportunities she couldn't approach back home. But along the way, Cruz says she has endured intimidation, humiliation, extortion and a long, painful separation from her young daughters.

Cruz is one of more than 300 teachers imported to Louisiana from the Philippines since 2007, a group of educators who say collectively they paid millions of dollars in cash to a Filipino recruiting firm, PARS International Placement Agency, and its sister company, Los Angeles-based Universal Placement International Inc.

Cases like those of Cruz and others prompted the American Federation of Teachers and its state affiliate, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, to file a complaint on Sept. 30 with the state Workforce Commission and attorney general. On Oct. 20, AFT filed a lengthier complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor. The unions allege the companies kept the teachers in "virtual servitude" by holding onto their U.S. work visas unless they kept paying inflated fees, commissions and rents.

Teachers paid upward of $16,000 apiece — about four times what they could earn annually as teachers in the Philippines — to get and keep jobs with public schools here.

USA TODAY was unsuccessful in repeated attempts since Oct. 16 to get a response to the allegations from Lourdes "Lulu" Navarro, the owner of Universal, or a spokesperson.

The situation underscores the vulnerabilities of a small but growing corner of teacher recruitment: the H-1B visa program, which last year brought an estimated 6,000 teachers to the USA to fill hard-to-staff jobs in subjects such as math, foreign languages and special education. An estimated 19,000 migrant teachers work in U.S. schools, according to AFT, which last month warned of "widespread and egregious" abuses of imported teachers.

"I'm very concerned that there are more places like this," says American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. "Even if it was an isolated incident, it would be horrible, but my hunch right now is that it's not isolated."

H-1Bs are reserved for skilled professionals. The law overseeing them relies heavily on employers to protect against fraud and abuse. In this case, critics contend that several Louisiana school districts — including East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Caddo and the state-controlled Recovery School District (RSD) in New Orleans — at best were negligent in not looking out for the best interests of teachers.

"At some point there was an issue of vetting that was not done," says LFT President Steve Monaghan.

If they violated state or federal labor laws, the districts could face substantial penalties: Federal law says they could be on the hook for millions in fees. Already, the Caddo Parish school district in northwestern Louisiana has agreed to pay $1,660 to each of the district's 43 teachers recruited by Universal — and has reserved $400,000 for "reimbursement for any potential claims sustained" by teachers.

Before they set foot on a plane in the Philippines, most of the teachers put down cash for a placement fee set at 20% of their expected first-year salary in Louisiana. In a few districts, the teachers stood to earn $40,000.

Federal law prohibits charging most fees to H-1B workers — employers are supposed to pay them. If they charge any fees, employers aren't allowed to collect them until workers draw their first paycheck in the USA.

Hard to say no

The teachers interviewed say they knew they were being charged an excessive amount. But for the possibility of earning nearly $40,000 a year — most of which they hoped to send back to their families — they scrambled to sell cars, mortgage homes, borrow from friends and family and, in a few cases, take out bank loans at inflated interest rates. One teacher sold a steer from his family farm.

"Here's an opportunity for you to grow and pursue your dreams, get a better profession and a better opportunity for your kids," says Cruz, 30, one of a few of the teachers willing to speak on the record about the case. "It would be impractical not to go for it."

High school math teacher Ian Cainglet remembers a wave of fees that just kept coming and coming: a $1,000 "marketing fee," then, a week later, a $3,920 "processing fee." A week later came a $595 "evaluation and transcript" fee, then $100 for a classroom management seminar in Manila that Cainglet thought was useless.

"You would just find a way to produce that money," he says.

"We're thinking, 'If we go to America, it's going to end there,' " says teacher Bernard Pagusara.

It didn't.

In interviews and sworn statements, dozens of teachers say things deteriorated once they landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

After a series of flights lasting up to 16 hours, they say, Universal's president Navarro and her employees met the teachers at LAX and took them to get Social Security cards and U.S. checking accounts.

Then Navarro, herself a Filipino, presented them with a second contract — this time for Universal's share of their placement. It usually amounted to 10% of both their first- and second-year salaries. They'd already paid PARS, run by Navarro's brother, Emilio Villarba, 20% of their first year's salary in cash before leaving the Philippines. Now they were asked to give Navarro more, payable in back-dated monthly checks — due immediately.

Anyone who didn't sign was threatened with instant deportation, Cruz and others say in their statements.

Teachers say they repeatedly were forced to weigh two unacceptable options: Move forward and pay more in hopes of getting a good job — or refuse, go back to the Philippines and face a mountain of debt with no job.

"We were already in deep, deep trouble with debts because we were paying all these people," says Luzellene Perez, a teacher in Jefferson Parish, near New Orleans.

All of them boarded their flights to Louisiana on schedule.

Crossing the line

For the East Baton Rouge Parish teachers, Navarro signed leases on their behalf for shared apartments at a run-down complex known as the Savoy. On a recent visit to one unit, roaches dotted tile shower stalls and scattered inside a kitchen cabinet when a teacher opened it.

The complex advertises two-bedroom apartments starting at $815 a month. The teachers say Navarro collected $310 monthly from each teacher — four of them sharing a two-bedroom apartment paid a total of $1,240.

At the height of its commitment to Universal last year, the complex housed 160 teachers.

Meanwhile, teachers over the past two years have devoted much of their salary to debt payments. For Cainglet, they eat up nearly his entire take-home paycheck of $2,100 a month: After $1,950 in loan payments and rent, he's left with $150. "And I've still got to send money home to my family."

Most H-1B visa-holders keep the visas for three years, with a chance to renew for another three. And unless a broker is paying the worker's salary, the law requires the employer to pay any fees and ensure that a worker's visa is renewed, says lawyer John Miano, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies.

In the Louisiana teachers' case, allowing Navarro to apply for the visas may have crossed the line "from questionable to illegal," he says.

In most cases, Universal served as a free recruiter. It also apparently paid for officials from at least two districts to fly to Manila to meet prospective teachers.

East Baton Rouge schools' general counsel Domoine Rutledge says the district "does not have any formal relationship" with Universal, but records in the case show that the company in 2007 wrote a $20,241.90 check to the district that equaled the cost of sending seven district officials to Manila. Rutledge calls it an unrelated, "unconditional donation" to the district. He also says East Baton Rouge severed its ties to Universal after learning about the teachers' poor treatment. "We in no way want to be complicit in the ill treatment of anybody."

In Northwest Louisiana's Caddo Parish, home to Shreveport public schools, Universal reimbursed the district $8,362 for a June 2008 trip by three officials. It produced 43 teacher hires in hard-to-staff areas, but parish school board members say they didn't know about the trip until two months after it happened.

East Baton Rouge officials defended their arrangement with Universal last year even after a federal agent with the U.S. State Department in Manila wrote to the district with suspicions about the company. And documents in the LFT complaint show that they actually revoked a job offer of a prospective teacher who complained about Universal's fees.

They also apparently didn't balk when Navarro secured not three-year but one-year visas for teachers — charging each one $1,745 for renewal at the end of the year. The usual fee: $320.

East Baton Rouge spokesman Chris Trahan says the district routinely seeks one-year visas for untenured foreign teachers. "There's no mandate" to get them three-year visas, he says.

Cruz recalls confronting Navarro over the fee, telling her an outside attorney might charge less. She says Navarro shot back, "What if I make an example out of you and sue one of the teachers, just to give you a lesson?"

After that, Cruz says, "everybody got a one-year visa except me — I got six months."

She eventually got another renewal, but the move had its intended effect. "Everybody was so scared after that," she says.

And since Navarro controlled their visas, Cruz and others believed they couldn't leave the USA or bring their families over. Cruz didn't see her two daughters, ages 7 and 8, for two years. As she speaks about it, her anger dissolves into tears.

Then, on Nov. 2, 2008, a few teachers began posting to a new blog called Pinoy Teachers Hub. ("Pinoy" is an informal term of pride for Filipinos, the equivalent of "Yankee" for a New Englander.) Within days it compiled more than a year's worth of grievances against Navarro.

The blog and both the federal and state complaints also allege that she was a convicted felon — charges confirmed by legal records, which show that Navarro, 50, admitted defrauding California's Medi-Cal program of more than $1 million in 2000. She also was convicted of money laundering in New Jersey in 2003 and served two years of probation. That should have raised a red flag had Navarro applied for a Louisiana "employment service" license — but she never did, the union says.

Teachers say that within two weeks after the blog began, Navarro lowered their rent at the Savoy and cut their visa renewal fee in half.

Easily the most outspoken of the teachers, Cruz says she had nothing to do with the blog.

But Navarro accused Cruz of starting it and sued her for libel in a lawsuit that eventually was dismissed. Navarro has appealed, but it caught the attention of LFT, which began investigating teachers' complaints.

Cruz hopes it stops what she and others call the mistreatment of a new wave of Filipino teachers. "Somebody needs to speak up and tell their story because we can't keep on," she says. "If she was just threatening us over small things and we're done with her in two years, then no problem with that. But lives are being destroyed."

Fernandez writes for The (Shreveport, La.) Times.

Hiring Special Education Teacher; Visit Total Education Solutions (TES)

Total Education Solutions (TES) is a leading national provider of special education compliance and staffing solutions to public and private education organizations. TES provides quality special education solutions under contract with school districts; county offices of education; special education governing entities; public, charter, and private schools; and institutes of higher learning.

Job Hiring;

Special Education Teacher Bilingual Resource Specialist K-8


Total Education Solutions (TES) is the leading national provider of outsourced special education compliance and staffing solutions to public education agencies. TES currently provides compliance and staffing solutions to over 200 public and charter school sites, representing 70 school districts and 35 Special Education Governing Entities.

We are currently seeking an outgoing, positive, Special Education Teacher for the Los Angeles area. The hours are flexible between 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Position structure is flexible for someone interested in growing with a well established company. The role can be split between providing classroom instruction and case management. Will consider part-time Case Manager or part-time Resource Specialist.


Requirements:

* Must be bilingual in Spanish/English


* Must hold a valid California Credential in Special Education


* Must have a multiple subject CSET


* Passed the CBEST


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* Must have a working knowledge of modern office technology, equipment and procedures


* Experience in compliance monitoring of state and federal regulations regarding special education, including facilitating IEP meetings, required. Bilingual (Spanish) preferred but not required.


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Are you interested teaching at Charter Schools? Visit DirectEd Solutions

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BA in any field
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Livescan
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Negative TB Scan



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NEW MEXICO: GALLUP-MCKINLEY COUNTY SCHOOLS

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640 S Boardman P.O. Box 1318 , Gallup, NM 87305
Phone: 505-721-1000 | Fax: 505-721-1199

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NEW MEXICO Public Education Department

New Mexico is the new destination for most teachers from the Philippines and for other teachers here in America from different states such as Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana and California, whose contracts have already expired or are just looking for better pay and opportunity for their families.

New Mexico offers at least $35,000.00 to $45,000.00 annual salary, and Teachers can avail housing benefits if based outside the city.

Your first step in order to apply to this school district is to read all information from their website at the New Mexico Public Education Department.


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Local Revenues for Schools: Limits and Options in California

September 2009
8 pages

Has the turbulence of the state budget got you wondering whether there is a better way to fund schools and districts? This new EdSource report sheds light on that question.

As the single largest expenditure in California's budget, K-12 education funding (and consequently the very ability of school districts and schools to operate) has been mired in the chaos that has characterized California's budget process in recent years.

School districts have endured deep cuts in state funding with little recourse, since California law severely limits their revenue-raising authority, leaving the K-12 education system vulnerable to economic volatility and Sacramento politics.

Concise and easy to read, Local Revenues for Schools: Limits and Options in California paints a comprehensive picture of how school funding got to be the way it is and the challenges and opportunities for changing it. Best of all, you can download it free from the EdSource website.


Education Policy News & Updates on the EdSource Website

Our School Finance News and Resources page on the EdSource website offers the latest school finance headlines as well as links to related government documents. Now you can also access special policy updates from School Services of California and Strategic Education Services. It's a great first stop when you want to find out what's happening now with school finance at the state and federal level: http://www.edsource.org/iss_fin_news.html


Save the Date for the 2010 EdSource Spring Forum!

California at a Crossroads: Crisis or Opportunity?
This year's annual California education policy Forum will be held as a single statewide event on Friday, March 19 at the Santa Clara Marriott in Northern California. More information coming soon!
Join our listserv

source: http://www.edsource.org/

Las Vegas looking for teachers for this school year!

Clark County School District is currently accepting applications for the following licensed positions:

Secondary Mathematics and Science Teachers (grades 7-12)
Special Education
Elementary Bilingual (Spanish)
English (grades 7-12)
Music Teacher (grades K-5)
Ethnic Music-Mariachi (grades 7-12)
Spanish Teachers (grades 7-12)
Career & Technical Education
School Library Media Specialists
School Nurses
Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
Speech-Language Pathologists
School Psychologists

We invite you to visit our website at www.ccsd.net/jobs and encourage you to submit an INTEREST Form by going to " Application Process" then "Teachers". Additional information such as salary, benefits, and licensure can also be obtained from visiting our website. Our recruitment schedule has been posted on our website; if the recruitment schedule does not fit into your schedule, a telephone interview can be arranged for your convenience.

If you need to get the certification requirements for the State of Nevada, the Nevada Department of Education is available by calling (702) 486-6458 and their website is http://www.nvteachers.doe.nv.gov.

Thank you again for your interest in the Clark County School District. We look forward to hearing from you. If you need additional information, please contact our office at
(702) 855-5414.


Sincerely,

Clark County School District
Human Resources Division
Licensed Personnel Department
Tel: (702) 855-5414
Fax: (702) 799-5202

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Thank you for your interest regarding a licensed teaching position in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. We are currently the 5th largest district in the nation with excellent schools, educational programs, communities, and benefits. In addition, Southern Nevada’s desirable climate offers year round opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. With new schools, award-winning parks, and more places of worship per capita than any major U.S. city, Las Vegas is a place where you and your family will grow and prosper.

Relocating to a new community is never simple. However, the benefits of living in Southern Nevada and working with the CCSD will help make your decision easier.
Competitive Compensation Package
Professional Opportunities
Diversified Economy
Tax Structure (No state income tax; low property taxes; affordable sales tax).

Special Children from Adam Jennie's Christian Center for Special Children Inc.

A FREE center to provide Children with special needs, protection, guidance and promote their holistic development through convergence of programs and services that will transform them into self-reliant and responsible citizens of the nation. To develop their skills and talents to enable them to perform activities like normal and GOD-fearing individuals, and to try to continue keeping it FREE as it is now.

Remembering its a Center-based facility that shall provide children with special needs a chance to live with dignity, self-worth, recognizing their rights and potentials to become productive citizens of the
society.
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Phone # 032-420-2821
email: christiancenter4u@yahoo.com


Source: YouTube
Website: www.christian-foundation.com

New Mexico Public School Department

The Professional Licensure bureau determines qualifications for and issues licenses to teachers, administrators, and other instructional personnel in New Mexico. We also provide technical assistance to individuals seeking licensure and to local school officials who must hire licensed staff.

For first time application
http://www.ped.state.nm.us/Licensure/dl08/applications/All%20app.pdf

Source:
http://www.ped.state.nm.us/Licensure/index.html






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ARIZONA Educational Employment Board

Here is the first step in your job application as a teacher in Arizona, USA.

A free service from the Arizona Department of Education.


Source:
http://www.arizonaeducationjobs.com/


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Teach in New York City

The Big Apple

New York City is one of the most amazing and dynamic places in the world. It has a cultural richness unlike anywhere else in the United States.

Over 8 million people live in hundreds of distinct, vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. As a New York City teacher, your classroom and your school will represent an intricate, fascinating slice of this city.

A sophisticated public transit system that includes extensive bus and subway service provides economical access to all corners of the five boroughs and thousands of taxi cabs are available 24/7. While most teachers live in one of the five boroughs, there is also excellent commuter rail and bus service from the surrounding suburban areas including Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester.

Choose to eat from 15,000 restaurants covering every ethnicity imaginable. Shopping options are just as plentiful, ranging from SoHo designer boutiques to hole-in-the-wall thrift shops to one-of-a-kind stores for everything from buttons to bicycles. Attend world-class theater, concerts, museums, galleries, sporting events, and cultural festivals. New York City also offers a parks and recreation system that includes 14 miles of beaches, 1,000 playgrounds, 400 athletic fields, 54 public pools, and 17 nature centers.

You'll never be bored and you'll never stop learning - that's what being a New Yorker is all about.

The City as Your Classroom

In addition to being one of the best cities in the world in which to live, New York City is also a wonderful place to teach. As a New York City teacher, you have access to resources and cultural institutions that will not find anywhere else. What better way to teach the importance of math than with a visit to the New York Stock Exchange? Or teach evolution with a trip to the American Museum of Natural History? Or attend a showing of The Color Purple on Broadway while your students read the book in class? With New York City schools’ partnerships with more than 200 arts and cultural organizations, every corner of the city has the potential to bring your lessons to life.

Opportunities for educational enrichment are not just limited to your students. Living in New York City means that you have 35 colleges and universities to choose from to continue your own education. You also have access to the largest public library system in the country. As you will quickly discover, New York City is your second classroom.

Recruitment Events

http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/recruitmentevents/default.htm

Source: http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/default.htm

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Credential Analyst Office: California State University, Northridge

http://www.csun.edu/

California State University, Northridge

California State University, Northridge is a vibrant, diverse university community of nearly 36,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty and staff, sited on a 356-acre campus in the heart of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. As you explore the university's web site, you will find ample evidence of Cal State Northridge's commitment to the educational and professional goals of students, and its extensive service to the community.

Make an appointment today to meet with a Credential Analyst, they will tell you what you need to do next with you credentials.


http://www.csun.edu/education/cred/credentials/credential-analyst.html

Start your job search today at EDJOIN.ORG

Start your job search today

There's no better place to look for jobs in public education than in EDJOIN, California's premiere online job search site. Whether you're hunting for a teaching position, management job or a classified support vacancy, chances are EDJOIN has just the right career for you.

With over 1,800 school districts, county offices of education and other education agencies posting on the network regularly, you'll find up to 16,000 job vacancies in EDJOIN's database! There are hundreds of new jobs posted each week. You'll want to start your job search here!


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How I got my California teaching credentials

Sample of results

Los Angeles, California-

I recently received my credentials to teach children with disabilities Mild to Moderate (MM) and Moderate to Severe (MS).
I applied for my teaching credentials last year around November of 2008 here, I mailed my evaluated school transcript of records from WES to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing http://www.ctc.ca.gov/ , attached a money order check for the fee, filled up the application form http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/414.pdf , then mailed it via courier to their office.

I waited couple of weeks for the results to show on their online website https://teachercred.ctc.ca.gov/teachers/index.jsp . After a few days I was able to see my name on their website search, with my status as pending. It took them 4 months to process my application, but it was worth all the wait.

Now, I'm a credentialed sped teacher in California. I can now apply to different schools who are looking to hire credentialed sped teachers like me. My opportunities to work has increase and the replies I get from potential employers are very encouraging.

I'll continue to search for possible openings, I usually browse the posting at http://www.edjoin.org/, and other school district websites.

If you want to be a credentialed teacher all you need to do is follow the steps I did here.

Links-

World Education Services WES

California Commission on Teacher Credentialing http://www.ctc.ca.gov/

Application and Credential Online Search https://teachercred.ctc.ca.gov/teachers/index.jsp



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New Heights Charter School

http://newheightscharter.org/