All 43 nominees for Teacher of the Year were selected by their respective school districts. Of those, five will be named County Teacher of the Year. The top five teachers are selected based on student achievement, professional development and community involvement, teaching philosophy and personal style, knowledge of educational issues and trends, promotion and development of the teaching profession, accountability, and their ability to serve as ambassadors of education. The County Teacher of the Year winners will go on to represent the region at the California Teacher of the Year program later this year.

The gala event is brought to you by San Diego County Credit Union and produced by Cox Communications in cooperation with the San Diego County Office of Education. The community is encouraged to attend the gala (ticket information here). The show also will air live on Channel 4 San Diego. “Cox Presents: A Salute to Teachers” has received national recognition, and has earned numerous awards, including more than 20 Emmy Awards and most recently, two Beacon Awards, for Channel 4 San Diego for excellence in programming.

Additional show sponsors include Nothing Bundt Cakes, The Super Dentists, Procopio, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Entravision, iHeartMedia Inc., and KUSI.