Nominations open for InterMountain Regional Teacher of the Year

Nominations are open now for the 2025–26 InterMountain Regional Teacher of the Year, giving Union County residents an opportunity to recognize outstanding classroom teachers across the region. Community members may submit nominations through the Oregon Teacher of the Year nomination page until Feb. 11, 2026. The InterMountain regional honoree will be eligible for consideration as Oregon Teacher of the Year.

The nomination window creates a direct moment for local civic participation in education. Teacher recognition programs serve multiple functions: they elevate classroom practices that work, provide public acknowledgment that can boost teacher morale, and create a visible metric of community priorities around schools. For Union County districts, a regional award can spotlight effective programs and educators from small rural classrooms to larger district sites, potentially shaping local conversations about resources and support for classrooms.

Institutionally, the pathway from regional recognition to state honors concentrates attention on how districts develop and support teacher leadership. While the nomination process itself is open to any member of the public, the outcome depends on regional selection procedures that feed into the statewide competition. That linkage means local nominations can amplify community voices in broader policy discussions about educator recruitment, retention, and professional development in Eastern Oregon.

For families, students, and neighbors, the practical step is straightforward: identify a teacher whose work had demonstrable impact on students or the school community and submit a nomination online before the Feb. 11 deadline. Civic engagement does not stop at submission; public recognition campaigns often attract attention from school boards, local elected officials, and district administrators, who monitor these signals when setting priorities and budgets. In that sense, nominations are a timely way for voters to signal what they value in local education ahead of school board discussions and elections.

The nomination process also offers an opportunity to document and share the kinds of teaching practices Union County wants to encourage. Teachers who are visible in this process can leverage recognition into professional opportunities that benefit their classrooms and neighbors.

The takeaway? If a teacher in Union County made a difference for you or your child this year, take two minutes to nominate them at the Oregon Teacher of the Year nomination page before Feb. 11. Our two cents? Public recognition matters — it’s a small civic act that feeds into bigger decisions about how our schools are run and funded.