Alison Hardin, Bulloch County Teacher of the Year
In recognition of World Teachers Day, Bulloch County Schools hosted its annual Teacher of the Year Banquet on Monday, October 6, 2025. The event honored top teachers from the school district’s 15 schools. Alison Hardin of Brooklet Elementary School was selected as the 2025/2026 Bulloch County Teacher of the Year.
Hardin will now represent Bulloch County in the 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year Competition, and possibly advance to the 2027 National Teacher of the Year Competition in Washington, D.C. She is a fifth-grade English language arts teacher, who has been an educator for 13 years, 10 of those with Bulloch County Schools and Brooklet Elementary. She previously served in Bibb County for three years.
Hardin is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, where she obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education. She has held more than 20 leadership roles within her school and the district, including being the lead teacher for Bulloch County Schools’ New Teacher Experience program which provides support, mentoring, and professional development year-round for first-year teachers and experienced teachers who are new to the district to help them be successful educators.
Hardin said that “The sense of community created within a classroom,” is what brings her back to teaching each year. The opportunity to be an advocate for her students as they work through social, emotional, and academic struggles and victories is such an honor to her. As Bulloch County’s top educator and advocate for public education, she views her platform as one to help teachers and students feel a part of a supported team to help them be more successful in the classroom.
“The sense of community created within a classroom is what brings me back to teaching each year. The opportunity to be an advocate for my students as they work through social, emotional, and academic struggles and victories is such an honor for me." Alison Hardin
Top Five Finalists
This year’s top-five finalists also included these educators:
- First Runner-up: Amy Smith, a STEM and gifted QUEST teacher from William James Middle School;
- Second Runner-up: Renee Rogers, a work-based learning coordinator in the Career Technical & Agricultural Education program at Southeast Bulloch High School;
- Third Runner-up: Cynthia Jersey, a special education teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School; and
- Jay McNeely, of Nevils Elementary School, is fourth runner up.
The winner, Alison Hardin, received a $3,000 cash prize, first-runner up Amy Smith received $1,000, and the remaining 13 finalists and school-level nominees each received $500. These are personal stipends funded by the sponsors, and not classroom grants.
Heather Gonzales, Bulloch County's 2024/2025 Teacher of the Year from Southeast Bulloch Middle School attended the event as well to share her experiences over the past year and to congratulate this year's nominees, finalists, and winner.
Pictured left to right: The Top-five finalists in Bulloch County Schools’ 2025/2026 Teacher of the Year competition are Jay McNeely, fourth runner up; Renee Rogers, second runner up; Amy Smith, first runner up; Cynthia Jersey, third runner up; and Alison Hardin, winner of the Bulloch County Teacher of the Year title.
School-Level Teacher of the Year Nominees
Each of Bulloch County Schools’ 15 schools selects its school-level teacher of the year. This qualifies them to enter the district-level competition. These are the remaining school-level nominees for this year’s competition:
- Zharia Williams, Julia P. Bryant Elementary School
- India James, Langston Chapel Elementary School
- Carneshia Bell, Langston Chapel Middle School
- Niki Brown, Mattie Lively Elementary School
- Haley McEachin, Portal Elementary School
- Tendai Haggins, Portal Middle High School
- Laney Waters, Sallie Zetterower Elementary School
- Brandon Poole, Southeast Bulloch Middle School
- Amy Altman, Statesboro High School
- Leana Radcliffe, Stilson Elementary School
Sponsors
A special thank you to this year’s sponsors The Statesboro Herald, Parker’s Fueling the Community Program; the Bulloch County Foundation for Public School Education; and NFP Insurance Brokers. The Statesboro Herald helps also provides the banquet, awards and provides a profile series of each of the 15 nominees.