The State Board of Education of Ohio has announced the eleven 2026 State Board District Teachers of the Year. This cohort of recognized teachers will serve as ambassadors for public education and the teaching profession in Ohio.

The next steps allow four of the eleven to move to the final selection phase for the 2026 Ohio Teacher of the Year who will represent Ohio teachers statewide and nationally during the 2025 – 2026 school year.

Ohio Teacher of the Year Program. Since its inception in 1964, the Ohio Teacher of the Year program annually identifies exceptional teachers statewide celebrating their effective work in and outside the classroom. The program’s mission is to provide opportunities for professional learning to exemplary teachers as leaders and advocates for public education.

Selected teachers move through two levels of recognition: (1) the State Board District Teacher of the Year as a regional recognition and (2) the Ohio Teacher of the Year as the state-level recognition.

Congratulations to the eleven recognized teachers:

Christopher Monsour, Tiffin City Schools, High School Biology, Environmental Science, Anatomy & Physiology, State Board District 1 Teacher of the Year

Kyle O. von Kamp, Willard City Schools, Middle School American History, English as a Second Language, State Board District 2 Teacher of the Year

Ronda Nisbet, New Lebanon Local Schools, Middle School Mathematics, State Board District 3 Teacher of the Year

Joshua Amstutz, Winton Woods City Schools, High School Mathematics, State Board District 4 Teacher of the Year

Timothy Hoagland, Eastern Brown Local Schools, Band and Music, State Board District 5 Teacher of the Year

Chad Thatcher, Whitehall City Schools, High School English, State Board District 6 Teacher of the Year

Jordan King, Upper Arlington Schools, Middle School Orchestra, State Board District 7 Teacher of the Year

Jenny Potts, Buckeye Local School District, Special Education, Kindergarten, First Grade, State Board District 8 Teacher of the Year

Kristofer Doran, Trumbull Career and Technical Center, Interactive Multimedia, State Board District 9 Teacher of the Year

LeShun Collins, Orange City School District, Health and Physical Education, State Board District 10 Teacher of the Year

Sara Dreibelbis, Medina City Schools, Fifth Grade, State Board District 11 Teacher of the Year

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