After Macomb High School science department chair Joel Hildenbrand announced plans to retire, the district advertised the opening but struggled for an extended period to find his replacement.
“Macomb has not been left unscathed by the teacher shortage,” said Superintendent Patrick Twomey. “And while we do better than most other school districts in west central Illinois, we still are struggling, particularly in our upper-level high school curriculum.”
Then he learned about a southern Illinois school district that has used a firm to recruit several teachers from overseas.
Twomey was intrigued, the Macomb district gave it a try, and now they’ve filled the science position with a teacher from the Philippines.
‘An excellent educator’
Twomey said this is the first time the Macomb district has hired an international teacher.
Kristine Nilla-Sapii will teach biology and chemistry at the high school. She already has several years of teaching experience. MHS Principal Scott Sullivan said veteran biology teacher Ben Green will serve as her mentor.
In an email, Sullivan said, “She is an excellent educator, and I am excited about what she can bring to our school and community.”
Twomey is also excited about the new hire. He said Sapii is coming to Macomb to teach and experience the culture of the United States, and he thinks the school district will gain something as well beyond the classroom.
“In terms of what that does for our kids and our faculty, and all those things that come with exposure to something you’ve not had exposure to in the past,” Twomey said.
Getting help in the recruitment process
The school district hired Global Educational Concepts to handle the recruitment process. The company is based in Nashville, Tenn.
Sullivan said the district paid GEC a $500 deposit to reserve a visa application spot. He said the company will send an invoice due in October for the remainder of the balance for their services.
He said the total amount the district will pay GEC is $4,250.
Twomey said GEC conducts background checks on the teachers it recruits and makes sure they have the appropriate credentials.
The school district got to meet with Sapii online before making an offer. Twomey said she articulated the content extremely well.
“This is the first for us, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised with the process,” he said.
Twomey said the company touches base with recruits once a month after they’re hired to see how they’re doing and find out what support they need.
Sullivan said he and the high school’s science team met with Sapii last week via Microsoft Teams so they could begin getting to know each other.
Helping ease the transition
Twomey said Sapii is still in the process of finalizing her J-1 visa. Once she completes that, he plans to reach out to the community, urging support to help ease her transition.
Twomey said she will bring only what she can fit in a suitcase, so he’ll be asking the community to help out with finding good, affordable housing for Sapii. She will also need a car.
Sullivan said, “I am really hopeful the community will adopt her, so to speak, to aid in her transition to living here.”
She will be on a three-year contract with the district.
The teacher shortage
Twomey thinks the national teacher shortage is a short-term trend. He said states and universities are putting plans in place to address the shortage.
Twomey also said the country also needs to recognize the value of the work done by K-through-12 teachers. He said that’s not always the case today.
“We have to change that narrative in this country if we expect to continue to get top-quality people to enter the field,” he said.
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
