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. 

Throughout the coming year, the 2026 KTOY team will work and travel together to advocate for Kansas education and the teaching profession. The 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year will be one of the following eight finalists (one elementary and one secondary teacher from each of the state’s four congressional districts) who were chosen from a pool of more than 126 nominations: 

Region 1: Tracie Betz, a classroom teacher at Quinter Elementary School, Quinter USD 293; Tranda Strnad, an art teacher at Republic County High School, Republic County USD 109 

Region 2: Troy St. Clair, a Pre-K-5 physical education teacher at Scott Dual Magnet, Topeka USD 501; Julie Smith, a business and digital media teacher at Santa Fe Trail High School, Santa Fe Trail USD 434 

Region 3: Rachel Marlow, a music teacher at Central Elementary, Olathe USD 233; Lauren Sage, biology and environmental science teacher at F.L. Schlagle High School, Kansas City USD 500 

Region 4: Susan Rogers, a first grade teacher at Derby Hills Elementary School, Derby USD 260; and Jason Peters, a mathematics teacher at Hesston High School, Hesston USD 460. 

In addition, the 2026 KTOY will receive the following: 

• A $4,000 cash award from Security Benefit Corp.  
• A Kansas Teacher of the Year Lifelong Learning Scholarship to attend participating universities, free of charge, for as long as he or she continues teaching in Kansas.  
• The Hubbard Foundation Kansas Teacher of the Year Ambassadorship which provides funds for travel and other necessary expenses incurred by the Kansas Teacher of the Year.  
• The use of a rental car from Enterprise Rent-a-Car for KTOY-related travel. 
• A Leader in Education ring, provided by Jostens, Inc.  

This past spring, each of the eight members of the 2026 KTOY team received a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit and a red marble apple from the Master Teacher in Manhattan. In addition, each will receive Capturing Kids’ Hearts training from The Flippen Group.  

The National Teacher of the Year program, presented by Voya Financial, is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The Kansas program is sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education.  

The 2026 KTOY will be a candidate for National Teacher of the Year.