South Dakota school districts have an opportunity to celebrate great teaching through the South Dakota Teacher of the Year, or TOY, program.

Each district that wishes to participate in the program needs to submit the name of its District Teacher of the Year to the South Dakota Department of Education, by March 1 in order for the nominee to be considered for the Regional Teacher of the Year program.

The department will contact District Teachers of the Year directly to apply for the regional award. Region applications are due March 31.

The state is divided into five regions, and one winner will be chosen from each. One of these five regional finalists will become South Dakota’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, to be announced in October. That person represents the state in the national competition in spring 2023.

Districts may determine their own methods for selecting district winners, but nomination forms should be made available to teachers, parents, students, school support professionals, and the general public through multiple avenues and formats.

Find more information, including a map of the five regions and a sample nomination form on the South Dakota Teacher of the Year webpage.

Professional development opportunity for Regional TOYs
The department will be able to offer the five Regional Teachers of the Year the opportunity to attend the 2022 National Teacher Leadership Conference hosted by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, to be held as a hybrid-virtual event July 13-15.

For more information about the South Dakota Teacher of the Year selection process, including guidelines and timeline for selection, and regional and state applications, visit the South Dakota Teacher of the Year webpage.

Questions? Please contact Kelly Royer at 605-773-8415 with the South Dakota Department of Education.