![\"Encinal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ALJ-L-AUSDNOTES-COL-0424-1.jpeg\")
Encinal Junior and Senior High School teacher Katherine Werner is the Alameda Unified School District\u2019s 2026 teacher of the year. (photo courtesy of Katherine Werner)\u00a0<\/p>\nWe at the Alameda Unified School District are delighted to announce that Katherine Werner, a special education teacher at Encinal Junior and Senior High School, has been named the district\u2019s 2026 teacher of the year.<\/p>\n
Encinal Junior and Senior High School teacher Katherine Werner is the Alameda Unified School District\u2019s 2026 teacher of the year. (photo courtesy of Katherine Werner)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ms. Werner, who came to the AUSD in 2020, co-teaches English, academic strategies and film classes at Encinal High on the city\u2019s West End. She also serves as the school\u2019s Special Education Department chair; has developed college and career awareness activities for students in grades 9 through 12; and has designed and facilitated professional development for her colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s truly an honor to represent AUSD as the teacher of the year,\u201d Werner says, \u201cespecially for all of the special education staff who work tirelessly to support our students. Teaching is a collective effort, and I\u2019m grateful to be part of a profession that continues to inspire me. Thank you to all the parents and guardians out there too, who are raising amazing humans and partnering with us teachers. I\u2019m feeling really proud to be an Encinal Jet!\u201d<\/p>\n
Werner received both bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in special education from Penn State University and her preliminary credential in educational leadership from Cal State East Bay. She has been a teacher for 20 years and an AUSD teacher for six.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The) teacher of the year (award) should recognize someone who transforms learning, uplifts colleagues and prepares students to engage thoughtfully with the world beyond graduation,\u201d a colleague wrote. \u201cKate Werner does this every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nominees for AUSD\u2019s teacher of the year come from parents, students, staff and the community. Teachers are notified of their nominations, and qualified candidates are invited to submit application materials.<\/p>\n
A selection committee composed of teachers, administrators, the Alameda Education Association president, an AUSD Board of Education member and a Parent Teacher Association Council member reviews redacted applications, selects several semifinalists to observe in the classroom, interviews them and then makes a final decision on who will represent the district\u2019s teacher of the year at the Alameda County level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe teacher of the year process annually reminds me how blessed AUSD is with its abundance of talented teacher leaders,\u201d says AUSD Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. \u201cThe fact that Ms. Werner is the first special education professional to be selected in 25 years is especially impactful \u2014 all teaching is hard, but special education teachers work especially hard to support our most vulnerable students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wholeheartedly congratulate Ms. Werner and look forward to learning from her over the coming year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe board would like to congratulate Ms. Werner and all the nominees for the 2026 teacher of the year,\u201d says Ryan LaLonde, the AUSD Board of Education\u2019s president. \u201cWe are so grateful for her hard work, commitment and leadership and for all she does to support students, staff and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a parent of a student on the special education journey at AUSD, I personally am so appreciative of high-caliber teachers like Ms. Werner. They don\u2019t just benefit the students in their class; they can elevate instruction across an entire district.\u201d<\/p>\n