Inclusive, humble, selfless, funny but focused, thoughtful, innovative, generous, and a unifier are how staff and students at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury describe Brian Betesh, a sixth-grade social studies teacher who today was named Connecticut’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.
“Brian is a fantastic colleague in addition to being a fantastic teacher,” says NEA-Danbury President Erin Daly. “Other educators appreciate his caring and the compassion that he shows not just toward the school, but toward the whole community. He has everyone’s back, and he is there for everyone 100%. I just can’t say enough positive things about what a wonderful human being he is. He genuinely deserves this recognition.”
A Danbury native and graduate of Danbury Public Schools, Betesh is in his nineteenth-year teaching at Rogers Park. He believes middle school is about more than grades or test scores—it is about creating memorable experiences that inspire collaboration, innovation, and leadership. Guided by this philosophy, he has helped develop several student-driven initiatives, including:
- Park 21, a club dedicated to improving school culture and elevating the middle school experience
- SEVEN, a project-based learning class where students design and implement projects that make a real impact on their community
- The Rogers That! podcast, which has recorded more than 100 episodes connecting students with local leaders, professionals, and alumni
- The ROARcording Studio and Bella Patterson Innovation Lab, dedicated spaces supporting creativity, media production, and hands-on learning
2026 State Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh and his daughter Avery are congratulated by CEA President Kate Dias and NEA-Danbury President Erin Daly.
“There has never been a day in my 19 years teaching that I have woken up and said, ‘I don’t want to go to school today.’ That is not hyperbole, that is the truth,” Betesh told the hundreds of students, staff, education leaders, and elected officials who gathered this morning at Rogers Park to celebrate him. “I love coming here, because every single day my goal is to make this place better than it was the day before. As a former student at Rogers Park, I feel a great responsibility to make that happen.”
David Bosso, executive director of the Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council and 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, said one student told the selection committee, “Mr. Betesh knows that I’m going to be successful, and that just motivates me to be better, because I know I had him to believe in me.”
“Brian exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional educator, creating a classroom alive with curiosity, collaboration, and respect,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “His energy, creativity, and unwavering dedication reflect the very best of what teaching can be. Brian’s passion for engaging students, his commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive school community, and his steadfast support for colleagues are the very traits of exemplary educators.”
U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, the 2016 Connecticut and National Teacher of the Year, knows firsthand how it feels to be in Betesh’s shoes.
“It is so incredibly humbling when you are selected for doing what just feels right, when people start to point out the exemplary actions that you’ve taken that you did just because you knew that they were the right thing to do,” Hayes told Betesh. “But there’s something special about that. There’s something that begins to teach people about what happens inside the walls of these schools when communities come together and they have supportive administrators and involved parents.”
Colleagues celebrate 2026 Teacher of the Year Brian Betesh.
To the whole school community Hayes said, “Mr. Betesh is the Teacher of the Year. That makes you the students of the year, that makes this the school of the year, and that makes you the colleagues of the year. Nobody does this alone. No successful teacher does this alone. They do it because you do it with them.”
“Brian Betesh is a remarkable educator whose creativity, leadership, and deep commitment to his students embody the spirit of Connecticut’s public schools,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “By empowering students to take ownership of their education and connect it to their community, Brian is helping to shape the next generation of thinkers and leaders. We are proud to recognize him as our 2026 Connecticut Teacher of the Year and thank him for the difference he makes every day.”
“Brian Betesh embodies everything we celebrate in Connecticut’s educators—creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every student—and through his work, he reminds us that education unlocks lifelong potential,” Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker said.
Betesh will now represent Connecticut as a finalist for 2026 National Teacher of the Year. As state teacher of the year he succeeds Julia Miller, a civics teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy in New Haven, who is the 2025 Teacher of the Year.
