Bilingual Florida School Returns to Puerto Rico to Recruit Teachers for 2027-28

Dreamers Academy, a public bilingual school in Sarasota, Florida, announced the launch of a new teacher recruitment campaign in Puerto Rico, with three in-person events scheduled over the coming weeks: September 30 at the University of Puerto Rico's Río Piedras campus, October 1 at Universidad Interamericana in Ponce, and October 2 at the UPR Mayagüez campus, all running from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ¹² Ahead of the in-person fairs, the school will hold a virtual orientation via Google Meet on September 17 at 6:00 p.m. Puerto Rico time to walk candidates through the application process and available openings. ²

Dreamers Academy is the only public elementary school in the Sarasota area operating under a dual-language immersion model, teaching in English and Spanish from the earliest grades through eighth grade. ¹³ The school is led by Dr. Catherine (Cathy) Rodríguez, originally from Lajas, Puerto Rico, who has made recruiting on the island part of the school's academic growth strategy. ³ "We are in a growth stage and want to keep strengthening the bond with committed Puerto Rican educators," Rodríguez said of the initiative. ¹

This is not the school's first attempt at recruiting Puerto Rican talent. In February 2026, Dreamers Academy had already toured the island with a recruitment drive that included a virtual meeting and in-person interviews from February 17 to 20, a process that resulted in the hiring of three Puerto Rican teachers, including Tatiana González Flores. "From day one at Dreamers Academy I felt welcomed and supported. It's an environment where professional growth is real," González Flores said of her experience. ¹

The recruitment push comes as Puerto Rico continues losing teachers to U.S. jurisdictions, especially Florida, where districts such as Osceola, Polk, Lake, St. Lucie, Lee and Orange counties have actively recruited Puerto Rican teaching staff over the past decade. ⁴ The pay gap is one of the most frequently cited factors: in Puerto Rico, the average salary for a Department of Education teacher hovers around $28,000 a year, though newly certified teachers report monthly pay near $2,750 before deductions, or roughly $33,000 a year. ⁵ In Florida, the base salary for new teachers rose to $47,000 following a 2022 pay increase, a gap that continues to drive the migration of Puerto Rican educators to the southern United States. ⁴

What This Means for You

If you are a certified teacher, a teacher-in-training, or a recent education graduate in Puerto Rico, this recruitment drive is a concrete job opportunity off the island, built around a bilingual work model that directly values having trained in both Spanish and English. ¹² For families with children in Puerto Rico's public school system, the news is also a reminder that competition to retain bilingual, certified teachers remains active, and that every outside recruitment cycle competes directly with the vacancies the Department of Education is trying to fill on the island. ⁴⁵ For education students at UPR and Interamericana, the fairs are also a chance to compare benefits, mentorship and working conditions between Puerto Rico's system and Florida's firsthand before deciding where to certify or work. ¹

How to Do It / Checklist

1. Confirm you hold, or are on track to complete, certification in Elementary Education (K-6), Early Childhood Education (Pre-K to third grade), or a specialty certification depending on available openings. ²
2. Register for the virtual Google Meet orientation on September 17 at 6:00 p.m., available through dreamersacademy.org/es/puertorico. ²³
3. Mark your calendar for the nearest in-person fair: September 30 at UPR Río Piedras, October 1 at Interamericana in Ponce, or October 2 at UPR Mayagüez, all from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ¹²
4. Bring your résumé, a copy of your teaching certification (or proof of progress toward one), and any evidence of English and Spanish proficiency, since the school directly values commitment to bilingual and multicultural education. ²
5. If you cannot attend the fairs, submit your application online through the "Join The Dream Team" link on dreamersacademy.org, or email [email protected] directly. ³
6. Before deciding to relocate, compare the full salary and benefits package offered by Dreamers Academy against your current situation in Puerto Rico's public system, including the cost of living in Sarasota, so you can make an informed decision. ⁴⁵

What's Next

If the pattern from the February 2026 recruitment cycle holds, Dreamers Academy would notify selected candidates in the weeks following the October fairs, with hires aimed at the 2027-28 school year. ¹² The school has said it is in a "growth stage," suggesting the number of openings and Puerto Rican teachers recruited could exceed the previous cycle, when three teachers were hired. ¹ Meanwhile, the pattern of outside recruitment toward Florida districts remains a constant pressure on the retention of certified teachers in Puerto Rico's public school system, at a time when the salary gap between both jurisdictions has not closed significantly. ⁴⁵

Sources

¹ La Perla del Sur, "Reclutarán maestros boricuas para escuela bilingüe ubicada en Florida," https://www.periodicolaperla.com/actualidad/reclutaran-maestros-boricuas-para-escuela-bilingue-ubicada-en-florida/ ² News is My Business, "Dreamers Academy recruiting teachers in Puerto Rico," https://newsismybusiness.com/dreamers-academy-recruiting-teachers-in-puerto-rico/ ³ Dreamers Academy, official Puerto Rico recruitment page, https://www.dreamersacademy.org/es/puertorico/ ⁴ Telemundo 31, "De Puerto Rico a Florida: el masivo reclutamiento de maestros de la isla para resolver la escasez en su sistema," https://www.telemundo31.com/noticias/local/de-puerto-rico-a-florida-el-masivo-reclutamiento-de-maestros-de-la-isla-para-resolver-escasez-en-su-sistema/2198030/ ⁵ Flamboyan Foundation, "Salario de maestros en Puerto Rico," https://flamboyanfoundation.org/es/lo-que-hacemos/revitalizacion-educacion/educacion-en-puerto-rico/salario-de-maestros/