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

The department will contact District Teachers of the Year directly to apply for the regional award. 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 2020 Teacher of the Year.

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. A sample nomination form can be found on the South Dakota Teacher of the Year webpage.

Professional development opportunity for Region TOYs
The department will be able to offer the five Regional Teachers of the Year the opportunity to attend the 2019 National Teacher Leadership Conference hosted by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, to be held in Orlando, Fla.

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. For further assistance, contact Sherry Dickerson at 605-773-2490 or Kelly Royer at 605-773-8415 with the South Dakota Department of Education.