Renee Nugent KSDE Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Learning Services | Kansas State Department of Education
Two teachers were announced as Region 2 finalists for the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year award during a ceremony held in Topeka. The finalists, named on April 6, are Troy St. Clair, a Pre-K-5 physical education teacher at Scott Dual Language Magnet School, Topeka USD 501, and Julie Smith, a business and digital media teacher at Santa Fe Trail High School, Santa Fe Trail USD 434.
This award honors outstanding teaching in Kansas's elementary and secondary classrooms, as recognized by the Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) program. The announcement occurred at the KTOY Region 2 awards banquet, hosted at the Hotel Topeka at City Center.
As finalists, St. Clair and Smith will each receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the program's principal corporate partner. They are both contenders for the state title, with the selection set for a ceremony in Wichita on September 20.
St. Clair and Smith were part of six semifinalists from Region 2, corresponding to Kansas's 2nd U.S. congressional district. The remaining semifinalists included Ashley Funk from Atchison Elementary School, Kate Talley from Elmont Elementary School, Tracy Murray from Lawrence High School, and Rene Stanley from Independence High School.
Each semifinalist will receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, a gift from The Master Teacher located in Manhattan.
In the current year, 136 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), which sponsors the KTOY program, coordinates the selection process through regional panels comprising teachers, education administrators, and business representatives. These panels identify semifinalists and finalists from each region, picking one elementary and one secondary finalist.
The Kansas Teacher of the Year program focuses on creating a network of exemplary teachers who lead in enhancing schools, student outcomes, and the teaching profession. The Kansas Teacher of the Year, along with regional finalists, acts as educational ambassadors across the state.
The winner from Kansas has the opportunity to compete for the National Teacher of the Year, a program managed by the Council of Chief State School Officers with the Voya Foundation.
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