A Hartselle educator is among the Alabama State Department of Education Teachers of the Year finalists.  

Kim Jared is one of 16 educators selected for the honor. More than 150 people statewide submitted official applications.  

Jared is a Hartselle native and 1987 graduate of Hartselle High School. Beginning her journey in the classroom in 1991 at F.E. Burleson Elementary, Jared was hired by her elementary school principal, Stewart Bennett. She taught at Burleson for four years before moving to Barkley Bridge elementary where she has been ever since.  

In 2005, Jared began training teachers for AMSTI during the summers. In the spring of 2009, she began working on her certification in gifted education at the University of Alabama. In 2015, Jared began training fellow educators for Hartselle’s Project Lead the Way launch of its STEM program. She has taught 18 years in the third grade and completed nine as a gifted specialist. 

She and her husband Matt have three children, Haley, Grant and Gavin.  

Alabama’s Teacher of the Year serves as a full-time ambassador for education and the teaching profession, in addition to presenting workshops to various groups. Alabama’s representative is also a candidate for National Teacher of the Year. 

The 16 finalists will be narrowed down to the final four. The 2023-24 Alabama Teacher of the Year will be announced in May.