Alaska’s U.S. Senators are pushing legislation that would waive a visa fee hike that is likely to have a dramatic impact on state education staffing. 

Last fall, the Trump administration instituted a $100,000 fee for any employers sponsoring H-1B visa applicants. That led to the Haines Borough School District losing its special education teacher, Stacey Spencer, earlier this year after her visa expired in December and the school district was unable to obtain alternate legal status that would have allowed her to remain. 

Haines superintendent Lilly Boron said at the time that the school district would no longer recruit or hire anyone needing a visa to work because it doesn’t have the financial resources. 

Now, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are co-sponsoring legislation that would exempt public schools from the new H-1B visa fee. 

Boron said waiving that fee would eliminate a huge barrier for school districts across the state. She said she hopes Murkowski and Sullivan’s efforts are successful. 

“Haines would be able to consider international applicants again, and we would,” Boron said.