Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) is delighted to announce that Katherine Werner, a special education teacher at Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School, has been named AUSD’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Werner, who came to AUSD in 2020, co-teaches English, Academic Strategies, and film classes at Encinal. She also serves as the Special Education Department Chair at the school and has developed college and career awareness activities for students in grades 9-12, as well as designed and facilitated professional development for her colleagues.
“It’s truly an honor to represent AUSD as the Teacher of the Year,” Werner says, “especially for all of the special education staff who work tirelessly to support our students. Teaching is a collective effort, and I’m grateful to be part of a profession that continues to inspire me. Thank you to all the parents and guardians out there, too, who are raising amazing humans and partnering with us teachers. I’m feeling really proud to be an Encinal Jet!”
Werner received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Special Education at Penn State University, and a preliminary credential in Educational Leadership from Cal State East Bay. She has been a teacher for 20 years, with six of those years at AUSD…