Az schools chief Horne walks back opposition to visa fee, ‘enthusiastically’ supports Trump policy

State Superintendent of Public

Instruction Tom Horne changed his tune on a Trump-introduced visa

processing fee in statements to the Nogales International on Friday,

saying he supports the fee and that there had been a misunderstanding.

The

$100,000 fee recently imposed on new H1B visa applications will make

recruiting and hiring international teachers much more difficult for

Arizona schools, superintendents – including Elgin School’s Dan Erickson

-have said. During a visit to that school Tuesday, Horne told Erickson

and reporters he opposed the fee.

Following

that discussion, Horne approached a Nogales International reporter and

asked that he not publish his remarks in opposition to the policy,

saying that he would be “screwed” if Trump were to endorse his primary

challenger, State Treasurer Kimberly Yee.

A story on Horne’s remarks was

published Tuesday by the Nogales International and republished by

several other news organizations.

On Friday, Horne sent an emailed Letter to the Editor to the NI seeking to clarify his statements.

“It

was a big misunderstanding,” he wrote. “The principal at the school I

was visiting in Santa Cruz County, to recognize academic success at that

school, spoke as though all foreign teachers were here on H1B visas. My

comment was prompted by my knowledge of our critical teacher shortage

and need for foreign teachers.”

“When

I got back to my office I checked and found that almost all foreign

teachers are here on J1 and Q1 visas, which can be seen on our website.

These are not subject to the same financial burdens as H1B,” Horne

continued. “I apologize for my misstatement. I enthusiastically support

all of President Trump’s policies on education and am doing everything I

can to implement them here in Arizona.”

Reached Friday, Erickson said he disagreed with that characterization of his remarks.

“All

I can say to anyone is what I know about our teachers,” he said. Elgin

School has two teachers on H1B visas and none on other visas such as J1s

or Q1s.

“I

was also really disappointed about what he said in regards to President

Trump,” Erickson added. “That’s disheartening. That means he approves

of the dismantling of the Department of Education … those things are

bad for education.”

Statewide,

it is unclear how many teachers work on H1B visas versus J1 and Q1

visas. The Arizona Department of Education’s guidance page only

recommends J1s and Q1s, and Horne said Friday that “almost all”

international teachers have those visas, though he didn’t have the

figures.

In 2025, Arizona K-12 schools requested 130 H1B visa approvals, according to data from the National Education Association.

H1B

visas differ from J1s and Q1s in that teachers can pursue a path to

permanent residency while working on them, whereas with the other types,

they are required to return to their home country.

Horne

acknowledged in a phone call Friday that the $100,000 fee is too steep

for school districts, and that Arizona does have a teacher shortage

crisis and depends on international teachers.

But, he said, “teachers that want to come here can use the others.”

Erickson

said that in his previous post as superintendent of Bowie School

District, he had three teachers working on J1 visas out of six teachers

overall. When their visas expired at the end of five years, they were

required to return to the their home countries, and recruiting to

replace half the district’s teachers in a small, remote district proved

extremely difficult.

“My preference would always be an H1B,” Erickson said. “I want them to be able to stay as long as they want.”

“We can disagree, that’s fine,” he added, referring to Horne. “He’s not my boss and I’m not his boss.”