Springfield Teacher Named 2027 Massachusetts Teacher of Year

Desirée Garcia, a kindergarten teacher in the Spanish-English dual-language program at German Gerena Community School in Springfield, was named Massachusetts’ 2027 Teacher of the Year. Chosen from 347 nominees, she is the third Springfield Public Schools educator to receive the state’s top teaching honor. Garcia has taught for 11 years and says honoring students’ home languages, cultures and identities helps them thrive; she works alongside Spanish-language teacher Sol Ivette Santiago. Gov. Maura Healey surprised Garcia with the award at a school assembly, and Gerena received a $10,000 grant in connection with the recognition.