The Louisiana Department of Education today announced the finalists for the 2020 Teacher and Principal of the Year.
The finalists were announced during a reception hosted by First Lady Donna Edwards and Dream Teachers, LLC, at the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. The 18 finalists are elementary, middle, and high school educators from school systems across the state.
Two teachers from Acadiana have made the list of finalists this year.
Winners will be selected from this group and named at an awards ceremony this summer.
The 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year finalists include:
| Lacey Blocker | Maplewood Middle School | Calcasieu Parish |
| Amanda Crane | Homer Elementary School | Claiborne Parish |
| Lisa Celestine Jack | Vidrine Elementary School | Evangeline Parish |
| Jessica Borland | South Grant Elementary School | Grant Parish |
| Brittany Legendre | Thibodaux High School | Lafourche Parish |
| Annie Smith | Lake Charles Charter Academy | Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation |
| Jessica Breaux | Edward Hynes Charter School | Orleans Parish |
| Emily Ogden | Rayville High School | Richland Parish |
| Christopher Dier | Chalmette High School | St. Bernard Parish |
| Brad Soileau | Oakdale High School | Allen Parish |
| Carli Francois | Dutchtown High School | Ascension Parish |
| Steven Schulz | South Beauregard Elementary School | Beauregard Parish |
| Lisa Burns | W.T. Lewis Elementary School | Bossier Parish |
| Christella Dawson | Neville High School | City of Monroe School District |
| Greg Hayden | Juban Parc Junior High School | Livingston Parish |
| Jennifer Dennis Carey | KIPP East Community Primary | Orleans Parish |
| Charles Wright | Ouachita Junior High School | Ouachita Parish |
| Tamika Green | Albert Cammon Middle School | St. Charles Parish |
This year, school systems submitted more than 200 nominations for Teacher and Principal of the Year. The Department named 48 semi-finalists in April 2019. A state team then narrowed that pool to the 18 finalists named today.
Those finalists will soon participate in face-to-face interviews with selection committees led by community and education leaders. The selection committees will ultimately choose the state division-level and overall winners.
