Two Gardner Edgerton teachers will advance to the Kansas Teacher of the Year selection process after being named the district’s elementary and secondary teachers of the year.
Jennifer Cusick, a fifth-grade teacher at Pioneer Ridge Middle School, and Krista Mealman, a business and computer teacher at Gardner Edgerton High School, received the honors, the district announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Both teachers now advance to the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, a statewide competition run by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). The program offers professional learning opportunities for district nominees. The eventual state winner and finalists serve together as an education leadership team.
That means Cusick and Mealman will compete against other district-level winners in their region for one of eight finalist spots statewide. Regional finalists each receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the program's corporate partner. The eventual Kansas Teacher of the Year represents the state in the national competition.
The award carries local weight. Olathe USD 233's Rachel Marlow won the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year, and Taylor Bussinger, also from Olathe USD 233, won in 2024, according to KSDE's historical roster. Gardner Edgerton's last appearance in the finalist records was in 2009, when Walter L. Cochran earned a regional finalist designation.
Cusick teaches at Pioneer Ridge, which serves grades five through eight in Gardner. Mealman teaches at the district's sole high school.
As part of the program, both teachers will receive professional learning opportunities, visit school districts around the state and advocate for education at the state level, the district said.
