OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Help is on the way for Osceola County Schools, and it’s coming all the way from South America.

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It’s all in an effort to fight the ongoing teacher shortage, and it’s not the first time the district has looked at international agencies to help fill positions.

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About 30 teachers came to Central Florida from the Philippines, Egypt and Ghana in 2019.

This time, there are 140 teachers heading this way.

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The district said they’re averaging nearly 150 absences a week. By hiring people from South America, officials hope to close the cultural gap as well as teacher gap.

The new position will not cost the district more money because they’re using funds that were already available for the 140 positions that are vacant now.

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