Out of 77 school districts across the 12-county education service area of Region 12, Waco ISD’s Dara Altamirano has been named the 2026 Region 12 Elementary Teacher of the Year and regional nominee for Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. Altamirano was selected as Waco ISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year in May and moved forward to the regional level, where she was selected to represent Region 12 by a committee of area educators.

“Mrs. Altamirano exemplifies what it means to be a servant-hearted educator,” said Dr. Kenny Berry, Executive Director of Education Service Center Region 12. “Through her commitment to literacy and connecting learning to real-world experiences, she empowers her students to grow both academically and personally. Her work inside and outside the classroom is creating a lasting impact on her students, her colleagues, and the broader Waco community.”

Altamirano has taught at West Avenue Elementary School since 2023. She has been in education for 13 years, serving Waco ISD in various capacities since 2015, and teaching for three years in Austin ISD.

“Dara Altamirano’s unwavering commitment to excellence extends beyond her classroom at West Avenue Elementary, where she empowers colleagues and cultivates a culture of growth,” said Dr. Tiffany Spicer, Superintendent of Waco ISD. “We couldn’t be more proud of this outstanding teacher. This recognition is a testament to the exceptional work our educators are doing every day and a powerful example of how Wisdom Works Wonders across our district.”

Altamirano currently teaches first-grade and is committed to fostering a love for reading and writing in her students. She has created a learning environment that is supportive, safe and engaging to build a strong foundation for her students’ future academic success. Altamirano is also passionate about inspiring and mentoring other teachers to cultivate the next generation of effective educators. She finds great joy in helping both young learners and fellow teachers grow, and hopes to create joy for them in return. 

Altamirano strives to teach her students that reading is not just a skill to master but also a gateway to new worlds, different perspectives and powerful ideas. She helps her students find joy in reading through her Reading is Thinking unit, where students explore a variety of genres, engage with diverse topics and develop the ability to think critically about what they read. The unit is designed around several key practices to help strengthen reading comprehension, including interactive read-alouds and think-alouds, collaborative discussions, personalized reading goals and real-world connections. The unit helps students develop a deeper appreciation for books, and watching her students transition from passive readers to engaged learners makes the unit extra special for Altamirano. 

Another way Altamirano has nurtured a love of reading in her class is by tailoring her classroom library to the interests and lives of her students. Altamirano applied for the Book Love Foundation Grant after seeing how some of her students struggled to engage with reading because they had not found books that spoke to them. The grant award helped fully fund a classroom library filled with meaningful books that would offer something for everyone, including sports stories, graphic novels, biographies and historical fiction. With a more expansive library, Altamirano saw students begin gravitating towards books that matched their passions, and even saw reluctant readers take more interest in reading. The library became the heart of Altamirano’s classroom, where students confidently went to discover, explore and connect through reading. This project has inspired Altamirano’s colleagues to reimagine their own classroom libraries, encouraging a larger effort to center student voice and choice in literacy practices.

Altamirano believes education should reach beyond the walls of the classroom, and works to help her students see themselves as active, valued members of their community. She helps her students nurture curiosity, empathy and connection through hands-on experiences that make learning exciting and relevant. Her students go on various field trips throughout the year to explore social studies, nature, storytelling, agriculture, teamwork and more while also connecting with the community. Altamirano’s students have toured the Mayborn Museum, visited a pumpkin patch, attended a Baylor University basketball game and more, which has helped her bring learning to life outside the classroom. Altamirano also connects her students to the community through cultural events and activities, including the school’s Black History Program. During this program, students research local African Americans who made significant contributions to the Waco community, helping them gain a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage of the city. These interactive and relevant learning experiences leave a lasting impact on Altamirano’s students by connecting them to the world around them and building a sense of belonging.

Alongside teaching, Altamirano positively impacts Waco ISD’s students by serving on the district’s reading curriculum writing team. In this role, she advocates for instruction that is rigorous, relevant and responsive to student needs. She has pushed for lessons that help students develop their reading and thinking voices, creating space for students to engage, reflect and take ownership of their learning. The team also focuses on alignment across grade levels, which has helped Altamirano see the full arc of literacy development and the power of consistency. Her experience on the reading curriculum writing team has shaped her instruction and helped her support colleagues in ensuring each lesson contributes to the bigger picture. Additionally, serving on this team has allowed Altamirano to step into a leadership role by sharing the work of the team, helping colleagues implement the lessons and supporting others in making instructional adjustments.

Altamirano has a Master of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish from Texas State University. She has Generalist (EC-6), Bilingual Education Supplemental - Spanish and Legacy Master Reading Teacher certifications. She is a member of the Association of Texas Professional Educators and was named the Austin ISD First Year Teacher of the Year in 2012.
ESC Region 12 and Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, the Region 12 Educators of the Year program sponsor, will recognize Altamirano and other regional educators of the year in the coming months. The Texas Teacher of the Year process, facilitated by the Texas Association of School Administrators, will continue later this month when judges meet to review the regional Elementary Teacher of the Year nominees from all 20 education service areas in Texas. Three finalists will move on to interview with a panel of judges in September or October, after which TASA will announce the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year.