Teacher of the Year to join Georgia Department of Education

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Teacher of the Year is joining the state Department of Education to boost the agency’s teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

Christy Todd, who spent 15 years teaching in Fayette County Public Schools, will lead projects aimed at growing the teacher pipeline.

“Christy Todd is an outstanding educator who is passionate about ensuring her fellow Georgians can also answer the call to teach,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I am thrilled she is joining us at the Georgia Department of Education as we work to recruit great teachers and make sure the classrooms of our state are places where they can build thriving careers.”

In her new role, Todd will work to build a statewide teacher recruitment website and a road map school districts can use to increase teacher retention.

“During my term as the 2024 Teacher of the Year, it became clear to me that if Georgia wants to remain the No. 1 state to do business, we must also become the No. 1 state for teachers to teach,” she said. “The economic futures of our state, communities, families, and students depend on Georgia’s public school classrooms being led by highly qualified teachers.”

Todd spent most of her career in Fayette County at Rising Starr Middle School as a chorus director, music technology teacher, and founder of the district’s Community for Creativity initiative, which teaches students to create songs, podcasts, videos and audiobooks.

Prior to teaching, she worked in the nonprofit consulting and business development sectors.

Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Shorter College and a master’s degree in music education from Florida State University.

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