RAPID CITY, SD – The Rapid City Public School Foundation is proud to once again celebrate the district’s most outstanding educators through its annual Excellence in Education recognition program on Tuesday, February 10, at 5:00 p.m.
Teacher of the Year nominees from each school building, Support Person of the Year from each school building, Bus Driver of the Year, and Years of Service will be honored at the Performing Arts Center (601 Columbus Street), where the 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year will be announced. Media representatives are invited to attend and cover this special event.
The goal of the Teacher of the Year (TOY) program is to recognize and honor the tremendous contributions of outstanding classroom teachers. Teachers are nominated and then submit applications to the Rapid City Public School Foundation Teacher of the Year Selection Committee. The committee is made up of community leaders that include Monument Health, Elevate Rapid City, State Farm, Black Hills Area Community Foundation, Scheels, Black Hills Energy, and Purple Wealth. Members of the committee use the state’s rubric and score the applications. This year, the top five application scores were invited to interview with the selection committee.
Each District Teacher of the Year becomes a nominee for his or her district’s Regional Teacher of the Year Award. If the District TOY is selected as the Regional TOY, he or she becomes a nominee for the South Dakota TOY. If chosen as the South Dakota TOY, he/she then become a candidate for the National TOY. The National Teacher of the Year selection is not completed until the following Spring, so in order for a District TOY to be eligible for Region TOY and South Dakota TOY, they must plan to be an active teacher for at least two more school years.
Recognizing that the success of public schools relies not only on teachers but also on the invaluable support of staff, the Foundation launched a new tradition last year: the Support Person of the Year Award. This honor will be given to one outstanding support staff member from each building, acknowledging their critical role in fostering a thriving school environment. This is not a competitive process but focused on recognition and appreciation.
This year, for the first time, Bus Driver of the Year will be awarded to an outstanding bus driver in the Rapid City Public School District. In addition, over 300 Rapid City Area Schools staff will be recognized for their Years of Service in the Rapid City Area School District.
The program will conclude with the unveiling of the 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year.
