Sarasota Educator Named Florida Teacher Of The Year Finalist

SARASOTA, FL — Kari Johnson, a kindergarten teacher at Fruitville Elementary School in Sarasota, as a 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year state finalist, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Education.

The winner will be announced July 22 in Orlando and will serve for one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education.

Johnson, also honored as the Sarasota Teacher of the Year, has taught kindergarten at Fruitville for the past 15 years. She was recognized for outstanding literacy instruction, which led to her classroom becoming a model for her school and district, FDE said.

As a member of the school’s positive behavioral support committee, she also serves as a mentor to novice educators and the leader for her team and professional learning community.

Johnson earned a master’s degree in elementary reading and literacy from Walden University.

“My congratulations to Kari Johnson as one of five 2022 Florida Teacher of the Year state finalists,” Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said. “Literacy is the foundation for success and giving young children the tools they need to become successful learners is of the utmost importance. Having great teachers in front of our students is imperative to their success and we are proud to have dedicated teachers like Ms. Johnson as part of our education system.”

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Fruitville Elementary Principal Steven French said, “If you are fortunate enough to spend any amount of time with Ms. Johnson, you will see that she is an energetic, hardworking, caring and progressive thinking educator who goes above and beyond to get the best from and for all students.”

This year’s five 2022 Teacher of the Year state finalists were chosen from more than 185,000 public school teachers throughout the state.

After each school district selects its teacher of the year, a selection committee representing teachers, principals, parents and the business community reviews each district application on the basis of outstanding ability to teach and communicate knowledge of the subject taught, professional development, philosophy of teaching and outstanding school and community service, the FDE said.