Meet the nine Ky. teachers honored with achievement awards. One will be named Teacher of the Year in October

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) - The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has announced the selection of nine outstanding Kentucky educators as recipients of the 2026 Kentucky Teacher Achievement Awards, who qualify for the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced in October.

"The Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards honor outstanding teachers who go above and beyond to help develop the next generation of leaders," said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher.

The nine Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award winners and their positions during the 2024-2025 school year are:

Elementary School

--Melanie Howard, Corbin Primary School (Corbin Independent)

--Michele Bradley, Crossroads Elementary School (Bath County)

--Susan Coffey, Mt. Vernon Elementary School (Rockcastle County)

Middle School

--Kimberly Stevenson, Todd County Middle School

--Kim Yates, Pineville Middle School (Pineville Independent)

--Michelle Gross, Spencer County Middle School

High School

--Devina Baker, Perry County Central High School

--Kara Byrn Dowdy, Mayfield High School (Mayfield Independent)

--Whitney M Walker, Lafayette High School (Fayette County)

"The nine teachers who earned the Teacher Achievement Awards represent the best of a great group of educators in the Commonwealth," Fletcher said. "These teachers are a shining example of the dedication and innovation educators are bringing to Kentucky classrooms each and every day."

All nine teachers will be honored during a ceremony in Frankfort on Oct. 7. During the ceremony, KDE will announce winners of the elementary, middle and high school teaching divisions. From those three finalists, one will be named the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, who will then represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.

All award recipients will receive cash prizes. The overall Kentucky Teacher of the Year will receive $10,000 and will be offered a six-month sabbatical with KDE during their year as an ambassador of the teaching profession.

KDE received 753 teacher nominations this year, a 42 percent increase from the previous year, and judging was conducted by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators from across the state.