Teacher’s fight to renew visa a first for Oakland
Francisco’s case is the first of its kind in Oakland. But other teachers on similar guest worker visas worry that they could be next, as district officials say there is now a surplus of teachers who are citizens or permanent U.S. residents.
Francisco, the only AP statistics teacher at Oakland Technical High School, is asking an Alameda County Superior Court judge to order school officials to sign the paperwork.
She argues that the district is illegally firing her by refusing sponsorship of the visa that allows her to stay in the country. Under the state education code, tenured teachers can be terminated only in specific circumstances.
“They’re trying to circumvent the normal process that teachers are entitled to,” said Francisco’s lawyer, David Weintraub.
The outcome of Francisco’s case is likely to influence how the Oakland district deals with other teachers on guest worker visas, many of whom hope for green-card approval that would give them permanent resident status, Weintraub said.