ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A teacher from central Florida is the state’s new Teacher of the Year.
State education officials announced Thursday night at a gala in Orlando that Tammy Jerkins, a math teacher at Leesburg High School located northwest of Orlando, was the Florida Teacher of the Year.
Jerkins received $25,000 from the Florida Department of Education and Macy’s, as well as an all-expense-paid trip for four to New York City to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Macy’s also is providing Jerkins with a $1,000 clothing allowance.
Four other finalists received checks of more than $17,500, and the schools of all the finalists received checks of $1,000 each from Macy’s.
A committee of teachers, principals, parents and business leaders picks the Teacher of the Year from Florida’s 196,000 public school teachers.