Teacher's fight to renew visa a first for OaklandSaturday, June 18, 2011 MORE EDUCATIONA decade ago, Evelyn Francisco was one of many teachers recruited from the Philippines and other countries by the Oakland Unified School District at a time when qualified math and science instructors were not always easy to find. Now, as budget cuts force the district to lay off about 90 teachers for the coming year, the tenured advanced placement statistics teacher is facing deportation to the Philippines because district officials refuse to continue sponsoring her visa, which expires June 30. 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 |
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