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Azusa Unified names Janet Short district Teacher of the Year; dozens of site winners honored
Summary
Azusa Unified honored site Teachers of the Year from across the district and selected Clifford D. Murray Elementary teacher Janet Short as the 2024–25 District Teacher of the Year. Presentations, certificates and small monetary awards were made by community partners.
Janet Short of Clifford D. Murray Elementary School was named Azusa Unified School District’s 2024–25 District Teacher of the Year during the board meeting on April 22, 2025.
The award capped a program that began with site-level nominations in February, followed by letters of recommendation, questionnaires and interviews in April conducted by a panel of bargaining-unit representatives, administrators and district leaders. Short’s selection was announced from the dais and followed by brief remarks from the honoree and presentations from community partners.
District officials said the selection process included site nominations and an interview committee that reviewed each site teacher of the year. The board and district recognized one teacher from each site; several principals described the classroom practices and community contributions that led to their nominees’ selection.
Janet Short, introduced by Murray Elementary principal Adrian Acosta, thanked colleagues, families and former mentors and reflected on teaching as a vocation shaped by others. “When they bring me that kid, that’s a lot of trust. This is somebody’s baby, and they deserve the best I’ve got,” Short said.
Other teachers honored included Charlie Callison of Sierra High School; Peggy Harris of Gladstone Middle School; Alondra Gray Morton of Azusa High School; Christine Ramirez of Paramount Elementary; Julie Eubanks of Dalton Elementary; Liz Rondero of Hodge Elementary; Sandy Serjack of Charles H. Lee Elementary; Janet Rodriguez (Longfellow preschool life-skills); Diana Bustos (Magnolia); Chenoa Jaramillo (Valleydale); and many others whose site awards were presented during the ceremony.
Community partners Foothill Credit Union and SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union presented Short with a certificate and small monetary awards: Foothill gave a $100 check and SchoolsFirst provided a $100 Target gift card, according to remarks during the meeting.
Board members and district leaders used the recognition segment to praise long service and the variety of programs teachers lead, from track clubs and after-school tutoring to bilingual instruction and student leadership. Superintendent Arturo Ortega and multiple board members congratulated the recipients and said districtwide celebrations will continue during Certificated Employee Appreciation Week in May.
The ceremony included short remarks from several principals describing nominees’ classroom strategies, program leadership and community engagement; the board recessed briefly for a group photograph following the presentations.
District staff and board members stressed that the Teacher of the Year program is a recognition of classroom and school leadership and said the district will continue events and support for teachers in the coming months.
