January 2024
2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year: Prioritize teacher pay, early childhood education
As the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, I have been gifted the incredible honor and opportunity to represent teachers across the Commonwealth – their brilliance, their passion, their dedication.
November 2023
Nominations are open for 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year awards. Presented by the Kentucky Department of Education, the awards celebrate some of the Commonwealth’s most outstanding educators.
September 2023
Boone County’s Kevin Dailey named 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Kevin Dailey, a middle school social studies teacher at Ballyshannon Middle School in Boone County, has been named the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. "I am really blessed and honored to be able to represent 40,000 plus teachers in Kentucky," Dailey said. "This day is about all of our kids and all of our families. This day is about Kentucky."
August 2023
10 semifinalists named for 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Ten outstanding teachers from across the state are semifinalists for the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) announced Aug. 14.
June 2023
2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Mandy Perez presents Year in Review to KBE
As her six-month ambassadorship with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) ends and she prepares to return to the classroom in the fall, 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Mandy Perez reflected on her experiences so far during a presentation to the Kentucky Board of Education on June 6.
2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year: Eminence Independent, the land of learning, creation and innovation
Eminence Independent has an EDhub center that features several [...]
March 2023
2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year: I choose to stay
Every time you log into social media, turn on the TV, or speak to anyone who works in education, the harsh realities that are crippling educators are evident. Problems ranging from concerning legislation, challenging student behaviors, overwhelming work demands, toxic cultures, poor leadership, safety concerns, lack of support - the list goes on and on. These factors are contributing to many leaving the profession, and rightfully so, in many cases. Yet, I choose to stay.
KDE’s Teachers Advisory Council discusses advocacy efforts for educator retention with 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Mandy Perez joined the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Teachers Advisory Council (TAC) on March 7 to discuss advocacy efforts related to teacher retention.
February 2023
KDE offering sponsorship opportunities for Kentucky Teacher of the Year Program
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has issued a sponsorship opportunity for vendors to provide prizes, supplies, advertising and financial support for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year (KTOY) program and related awards ceremony.
2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year to fellow teachers: Be you and be real, because you matter
Rewind to March 2022. Just like every other teacher I know, I quickly scanned the 20,000 emails in my school inbox (if yours is less than that, share your secret) during my lunch period and skipped right over an email from “Kentucky Teacher of the Year.” Let’s face it – why would they be emailing me?