Alabama State Board names Elizabeth Eubanks Vanhoff 2026 Teacher of the Year

The Alabama State Board of Education on May 14 honored Elizabeth Eubanks Vanhoff of Spanish Fort Elementary School as the 2026 Alabama Teacher of the Year and adopted resolutions recognizing dozens of district-level winners.

Dr. Eric Mackey, the state superintendent, read portions of Vanhoff’s resolution and praised her work in special education and community partnerships. “One of the things that she does that’s really special … is she teaches special education,” Dr. Mackey said, noting Vanhoff’s Project Outreach Gulf Coast chapter and work promoting inclusion and empathy for students with significant disabilities. The board adopted the resolution by unanimous voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.

The board also adopted a resolution naming Eshwar Godfrey of Selma High School as the 2026–27 alternate and secondary state teacher of the year. Dr. Mackey highlighted Godfrey’s mentoring and efforts to foster inclusive classroom environments before the board’s unanimous approval.

Separately, the board read and adopted a resolution recognizing the 16 district teachers of the year from across Alabama. Dr. Mackey read the list aloud and invited the finalists to stand for recognition; the list included winners from Baldwin, Coffee, Dothan, Vestavia, Tuscaloosa, Mobile, Selma and other systems. The resolutions were passed by voice vote; the transcript does not record individual member votes.

The board recessed its formal business after the recognitions and moved on to other resolutions and presentations.