L.A. County Office of Education names 16 teachers of the year

Sixteen educators from around the region were named teachers of the year Friday by the L.A. County Office of Education at its annual awards banquet held in-person for the first time in almost two years.

The Office of Education says its teachers of the year program is the largest local competition in the state and nation and is part of the oldest and most prestigious honors contest in the country for public school teachers.

The 16 honorees — from Alhambra, Bellflower, Burbank, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, West Covina, Whittier and elsewhere — will advance with other finalists from around the state to the statewide teachers of the year competition this fall.

“During this time of extraordinary challenges to our school communities, it is especially important that we pay tribute to our outstanding teachers who, over the past year and a half of this pandemic, have been bringing care, compassion and ingenuity to both their virtual and in-person classrooms,” Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo said. “I am truly impressed by their innovative practices and the partnerships they have created to keep students learning and thriving.”

The 16 were selected from a field of 56 teachers representing the 52 school districts that participated in the 40th annual competition. All participants were recently selected by their respective school districts. The banquet took place at the Universal City Hilton.

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