The Modesto Rotary Club and the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) will honor the 12 Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year Finalists and announce the selection of four teachers as the 2026 Stanislaus County Teachers of the Year at a Rotary luncheon on May 5. The four selected as Teachers of the Year will each receive a $1,000 cash award from the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation. Mocse Credit Union also sponsors the event and provides funding for the awards and decorations.

Teachers were nominated by their principals and finalists were selected from 85 nominees representing 14 school districts in Stanislaus County. A selection committee, composed of local Rotarians and educators, narrowed the nominations through a paper screening process and then visited the classrooms of 24 semi-finalists before narrowing it down to the 12 finalists.        

The 2026 Teachers of the Year Finalists are:

The Jane Johnston Civility Award will be presented in honor of former SCOE Assistant Superintendent Jane Johnston, who helped launch the county-wide Choose Civility Initiative in 2010 and passed away unexpectedly in April 2012. Johnston was a member of the Modesto Rotary, co-chaired the Teacher of the Year Program, and was active with the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County. The Education Foundation will honor her memory by presenting a $1,000 check and a Jane Johnston Civility Award to one of the 12 finalists who best exemplifies the principles of civility.

This is the 27th year that Modesto Rotary and SCOE have joined efforts to honor teachers in Stanislaus County. The program not only honors local teachers and celebrates excellence in education, but it also provides an opportunity for teachers to receive state and national recognition. Two of the four Teachers of the Year will be selected, through an interview process, to represent Stanislaus County in the State Teacher of the Year Program. One state winner then proceeds to the national level.

“We are honored to join Modesto Rotary in celebrating the exceptional work of educators across Stanislaus County,” said County Superintendent of Schools Scott Kuykendall. “These educators shape futures by motivating and supporting students to achieve their best. Their passion and dedication set a high standard for education in our region.” Sponsors of the Stanislaus County Teacher of the Year program include the Modesto Rotary Club Foundation, Stanislaus County Office of Education, and Mocse Credit Union.