Kentucky Department of Education honors 2024 teachers of the year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WAVE) - Every year the Kentucky Department of Education names a Teacher of the Year. The winner is chosen among three individual finalists nominated and selected at the elementary, middle, and high school level, respectively.

The 2024 Teacher of the Year is Kevin Dailey, a middle school teacher from Boone County. Dailey was also named the Middle School Teacher of the Year.

The Elementary School Teacher of the Year was Donnie Wilkerson of Russell County. The High School Teacher of the Year was Kumar Rashad who teaches math and history at Breckenridge Metropolitan High School in Louisville. He’s also on the Metro Council.

The majority of Rashad’s students at Breckenridge are at-risk youth. Rashad said he hopes he can continue to serve as a role model for the kids he teaches every day.

“With a population like mine, we’re not just teaching them to go onto the next level, we’re teaching them how to stay alive the next day,” said Rashad, “to be productive citizens the next day. It’s really important because we’re doing a lot of life saving in our classes.”

Rashad said he’s grateful for the student who nominated him and for his family, especially his mother who drove down from Cleveland to be with him in Frankfort Wednesday for the award ceremony.

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