In this edition ...

The 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) will be announced this Saturday, Sept. 20.  

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson will name the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year at a gathering of more than 370 educators, business representatives and others during the Dale Dennis Kansas Teacher of the Year Banquet at the Marriott Hotel, in Wichita. Stay tuned to the Kansas State Department of Education’s Facebook and X channels for the official announcement of the winner on Saturday night. 

An estimated 17,000 third grade students across the U.S., including those in Kansas, celebrated Constitution Day on Wednesday, Sept. 17. 

Judge Robert J. Wonnell of the Kansas 10th Judicial Court, in Olathe, created a mock trial to highlight the day, Sept. 17, 1787, when the U.S. Constitution was signed by delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, overseen by George Washington who became the first U.S. President in 1788.  

While third grade students across Kansas and the U.S. celebrated Constitution Day by participating in a virtual mock trial, students and staff members across Derby USD 266 also celebrated Constitution Day on Wednesday, Sept. 17. 

The conversion to the Kansas Education Data System, known as KEDS, is expected to take some significant steps forward during the 2025-26 school year.