Minneapolis educator named the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the year

Tracy Byrd, a ninth-grade English language arts teacher at Washburn High School in the Minneapolis school district, has been named the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Byrd is the 60th recipient of the prestigious award, and the third from the Minneapolis district to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Tracy Byrd graduated from Washburn and then became a teacher later in life. In 2008 he left a career in the financial field to work in the Wayzata school district, first as a hall supervisor and a coach in football and track and field. And during that time he decided to pursue a teaching career.

Upon receiving his teaching credentials from Metropolitan State University in 2017, Byrd chose to return to his alma mater, Washburn High School to teach.

Providing fair access to education for all students, something Byrd found lacking in his own experience, is his teaching goal. “True access to education can change the trajectory of a student,” he said. “It could be the spark that ignites the flame for a young student into a field they didn’t know existed. To me, that is the purpose of education: Not to give them something they already know, but to show them something new and authentic so they can learn and grow.”