Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference addressing foreign influence in public education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin on Aug. 18, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
A proposed ban on school districts hiring foreign workers on H-1B visas could have major repercussions in Dallas ISD.
The district has more employees hired on H-1B visas than any other school district in the country, according to federal data. Under a policy proposed this week by Gov. Greg Abbott, the district would have to fire all those workers.
During campaign stops Tuesday, Abbott proposed a policy allowing “exactly zero” employees on H-1B visas working in Texas schools. The ban would apply both to new hires and employees already working in Texas districts, he said. Any such proposal would have to go through the Texas Legislature when lawmakers return to Austin next year.
Article continues below this ad
“We need to find Texans or Americans who can educate our students. Period,” Abbott said.
In a statement, Dallas ISD officials said the district only hires teachers from abroad to fill critical shortages. Each of those teachers is certified by the Texas Education Agency, officials said.
“If the governor’s new expectation is to eliminate these teachers, then we’re going to need more Texans in the teaching pipeline,” officials said.
Abbott seeks to limit foreign influence in Texas schools
Abbott proposed the policy as a part of a larger effort to rid Texas’ schools of foreign influence — a push that also includes a proposed ban on districts accepting gifts, money or property from foreign sources or entering into partnerships or financial arrangements with foreign entities.
Article continues below this ad
Similar restrictions are already in place for Texas’ colleges and universities. A state law passed last year prohibits colleges from accepting gifts from foreign adversary governments and restricts partnerships that could give foreign entities influence over colleges’ curriculum and values. Separately, Abbott issued an executive order directing state agencies, including universities, to freeze new H-1B applications.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaking at a news conference at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin on Aug. 18, 2026, proposed a policy allowing “exactly zero” employees on H-1B visas working in Texas schools.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Over the past decade, Dallas ISD has consistently been one of the state’s top sponsors of workers on H-1B visas. As of June 30, the district had hired 171 employees on such visas during the fiscal year that ended July 31, according to records from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. That total is higher than any other district in the country. Washington, D.C.’s public school system came second, with 70.
It’s unclear what roles those workers play in Dallas ISD. The Dallas Morning News submitted a public information request in April for documents related to the district’s hiring of H-1B workers. That request is pending.
Over the past few years, Dallas ISD has hosted virtual recruitment fairs in Spanish-speaking countries, offering to sponsor teachers on J-1 or H-1B visas and highlighting the annual stipends the district pays to bilingual teachers on top of their regular salaries.
Article continues below this ad
Although Dallas ISD is an outlier both in Texas and nationally, it isn’t the only North Texas district that uses H-1B visas to hire foreign workers. Harmony Public Schools, a Houston-based charter network with more than a dozen campuses across North Texas, sponsored 24 H-1B visas in the 2025-26 fiscal year. A handful of other districts, private schools and charter networks, including Mesquite ISD, Dallas International School and Idea Public Schools, sponsored one or two visas.
H-1B visas are temporary non-immigrant visas that allow employers to hire foreign workers with certain skills or expertise, including IT, engineering and science. Such visas are valid for three years and may be extended to a maximum of six years.
Republican state and federal officials have targeted the H-1B program over the past several years, claiming that the program is rife with fraud. In April, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into 30 North Texas businesses for visa fraud. The move came after conservative influencers flooded into Frisco and other North Texas cities, claiming the program was contributing to an “Indian takeover.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
Article continues below this ad
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.