ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Teachers throughout USD 480 do a lot of great work every day, and people in the community now have the chance to show them some appreciation.
The USD 480 Teacher of the Year Program, which runs in alignment with the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) Teacher of the Year Program, seeks to recognize excellence in teaching, is currently taking nominations for the 2026 honors. USD 480 Communications Director Tyler Parks went into more detail about the process.
“It can be a bit confusing as KSDE runs their nominations one in advance, so this year’s nominees will be in the running for the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year which will be announced in the Spring of 2025 at the annual KSDE Awards Banquet. For example, Liberal High School math teacher Ismael Carrillo, who was the 2024 USD 480 Secondary Teacher of the Year, and Nancy Flores, who was the 2024 USD 480 Elementary Teacher of the Year were selected in May 2022. Then they were recognized by KSDE April 1, 2023 in Salina,” Parks said. “They spent 2024 touring other Region 1 schools and just yesterday gave tours of our schools to other Region 1 Teachers of the Year. The USD 480 Teacher of the Year selection process follows the Kansas State Department of Education's process in nominating and selecting the winners. Each school within USD 480 has a teacher selected to be their teacher of the year, within this group a teacher is selected at both the elementary and secondary level to represent USD 480 at the state level. The USD 480 elementary and secondary winners are then nominated to be the Kansas Teacher of the Year, and those two winners will travel around to other Kansas schools to see how nominees from other districts are making a difference at their schools.”
Parks added the USD 480 honorees will also host a group of fellow nominees from across the state to showcase what they are doing to make a difference to students within the district. These honorees will also work with policy makers, business and community leaders, and others from across the state to help them better understand the realities and challenges facing school districts and classrooms in Kansas.
The nominations have been open only a short time, and Parks said the response has been overwhelmingly positive so far.
“In the past week, we have already received close to 150 nominations. That doesn’t mean people still shouldn’t get their nominations in, we know there are many more worthy of recognition, so we encourage everyone to keep submitting their nominations until May 31,” Parks said. “We know our students and parents love our teachers, so this is a great way to show their support for their favorite teacher. Our teachers and all teachers deserve to be recognized for the work they do educating our future generation now more than ever. Teachers need to know that everyone recognizes and appreciates how important their role is in our community and this is a great way to do that.”
Parks added he enjoys being part of the nominations process every year.
“I enjoy that this is an award that is given to our teachers based on those outside of the district. It is an opportunity for a parent to tell us how great their child’s teacher was this year,” Parks said. “It is a chance for those outside of the school system who see our teachers working outside of school hours and even outside of the school year to make sure all that extra time and effort is recognized. Our teachers do so much outside of what parents and students see; and even outside of what administrators see and this is an opportunity for those who do see it to acknowledge all that extra work by nominating them.”
Nominations are being taken through May 31, and Parks said the process is very easy.
“The nomination process is simple and quick, you just need the name of the teacher and the building they currently teach in. An English and Spanish version of the nomination form can be found on our website or social media accounts. Nominations can be for your child’s teacher, or a friend, colleague, neighbor, or family member,” Parks said. “We know teachers work so hard behind the scenes and outside of school hours to make sure their students are receiving the best education possible; with that being said it is often the people in their lives who truly see the commitment they have to teaching, so we encourage everyone to nominate someone they know who is deserving of this award, not just someone who has personally taught their child.”
With such a big response already, Parks said he is excited to see how this year’s nominations end up.
“Everyone at USD 480 is excited to recognize some of the outstanding educators we have within our district. Our teachers go above and beyond each year and we don’t always have the opportunity to recognize and acknowledge all they do, so it is nice to have the community to help us do that,” Parks said. “USD 480 has an outstanding pool of teachers, so we expect a large number of nominations like we have received the last few years. We expect the community to show their support for a group that doesn’t always receive the recognition they deserve. We usually have more than 200 nominations and we are on track to exceed that this year. It is so important for teachers to know how much their community appreciates and supports what they do and that the parents and community recognize how big of an impact they have on a child’s life. The impact a teacher has on their students and subsequently their community can not be overstated. We hope by having the community send in their nominations that the teachers see just how much they matter and are valued in our community.”
