The Utah State Board of Education announced the five finalists for 2019 Utah Teacher of the Year. They are:
- Archer James Birrell, a fourth-grade teacher at Hillside Elementary School in the Granite School District.
- Jeffrey R. Jackson, a German and math teacher at T.H. Bell Junior High School in the Weber School District.
- Anjanette McNeely, a kindergarten teacher Layton Elementary School in the Davis School District.
- Kelly May, a social studies and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher at West High School in the Salt Lake City School District and an associate instructor at the Urban Institute for Teacher Education at the University of Utah.
- Stephanie Roper, a K-5 Title I reading and math teacher at Ferron Elementary and Cottonwood Elementary schools in the Emery School District.
A panel with representatives from teachers, parents, charter schools, the Utah State Board of Education and 2018 Utah Teacher of the Year Aaryn Birchell selected the finalists from among the 32 district and charter school teachers of the year from throughout the state. The five were interviewed and a 2019 Utah Teacher of the Year and two runners up were selected but won’t be announced until September 6 when a banquet will be held honoring all district and charter teachers of the year.
The 2019 Utah Teacher of the Year will represent Utah in the National Teacher of the Year Program in Washington, D.C., and will succeed Birchell, an English language arts teacher at Uintah High School in the Uintah School District.
