KTOY finalists announced for 2026 awards in Overland Park ceremony

Rachel Marlow and Lauren Sage have been named Region 3 finalists for the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) award. Marlow, a K-5 music teacher at Central Elementary School in Olathe USD 233, and Sage, a biology and environmental science teacher at F.L. Schlagle High School in Kansas City USD 500, were recognized during a ceremony on April 6 at the Overland Park Sheraton Hotel.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year award honors excellence in elementary and secondary education across the state. As finalists, both Marlow and Sage will receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, a major corporate partner of the KTOY program. They will also be eligible for the title of Kansas Teacher of the Year, to be announced on September 20 in Wichita.

Marlow and Sage were chosen from six semifinalists in Region 3, which encompasses Kansas’s 3rd U.S. congressional district. Other semifinalists included Lisa Miles from Prairie Ridge Elementary School, Alex Muninger from Cottonwood Point Elementary School, Lara Caldwell from Horizons High School, and Everette McNaney from Gardner Edgerton High School.

Semifinalists receive a red marble apple with a wooden base from The Master Teacher in Manhattan. This year, a total of 136 educators statewide were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year title.

Nominations occur in four regions statewide. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) sponsors the KTOY program and assigns regional panels, made up of teachers, education administrators, and business representatives, to select semifinalists and finalists. Each panel selects three elementary and three secondary semifinalists, ultimately choosing one finalist in each category.

The KTOY program's mission is to create a network of distinguished teachers who lead efforts to improve schools, student outcomes, and the teaching profession. Kansas Teacher of the Year winners serve as education ambassadors, promoting education and teaching across the state. The individual selected as Kansas Teacher of the Year is also considered for the National Teacher of the Year, organized by the Council of Chief State School Officers in collaboration with the Voya Foundation.