Two Los Angeles County educators were among the five 2026 California Teachers of the Year announced Thursday.
“These extraordinary educators represent the very best of our public schools and remind us that great teaching can change lives and strengthen entire school communities,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said in a statement.
The 2026 California Teachers of the Year from L.A. County are:
–Rene Romero, an 11th- and 12th-grade International Baccalaureate Language and Literature teacher at South Hills High School in the Covina Valley Unified School District. State officials said Romero “uses his own background as an English Learner from East Los Angeles to make sure that his classroom is an inclusive and supportive environment.”
— Heather Povinelli, a second-grade teacher at Bradoaks Elementary Science Academy in the Monrovia Unified School District. “As someone who has dwarfism, Dr. Povinelli uses her own disability as an opportunity to teach students about inclusion, equity, and belief in oneself,” according to the state. “Through her doctoral research, Dr. Povinelli has highlighted specific strategies and practices used by dwarf teachers that can be applied by any teacher to more effectively reach every child.”
The three other California Teachers of the Year are April Raguindin, a first-grade teacher at Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary School in the Bakersfield City School District in Kern County; Chrizia Dela Rosa, a ninth-grade mathematics teacher at Piedmont Hills High School in the East Side Union High School District in Santa Clara County; and Corina Martinez, a kindergarten teacher at Pioneer Elementary School in the Escondido Union School District in San Diego County.
Thurmond nominated Raguindin as California’s representative for the National Teacher of the Year competition. She will compete against other state nominees, and the 2026 National Teacher of the Year will be announced in the spring.
The Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to honor outstanding educators and encourage others to enter the profession.