- March 3, 2026
Erika Kazma, a physical education teacher from R.J. Longstreet Elementary School in Daytona Beach, was named Volusia County Schools' 2027 Teacher of the Year during a ceremony held Saturday, Jan. 10.
Kazma was selected from 70 nominees representing schools countywide, according to a press release by the school district. She was one of five finalists for the district award and will now represent Volusia County in the state Teacher of the Year program.
The VCS Teacher of the Year ceremony was co-hosted by FUTURES Foundation for VCS and presented by AdventHealth at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. Ceremony attendees included VCS partners in education, sponsors, district staff and supporters of each of the nominees.
Kazma succeeds Jeremy Davies, an International Baccalaureate math teacher at Spruce Creek High School, who was Volusia County's 2026 Teacher of the Year.
Kazma has been teaching at Longstreet since 2015. She has worked for VCS since 2006, beginning as a fifth grade teacher at Chisholm Elementary and then teaching second through fifth grades at Cypress Creek Elementary School from 2007 to 2015.
Through grants, partnerships, and creative programming, Kazma provides opportunities many students would not otherwise have, including bike riding, gardening, golfing, running clubs, and community fitness events.
“At Longstreet, I have made it my mission to lead in ways that ripple far beyond my classroom,” Kazma said in the press release. "When a child rides their first bike, plants their first garden, or proudly wears a medal on field day, their face lights up with joy. In those moments, I am reminded that authentic leadership is not about what I accomplish but about creating opportunities that leave a lasting imprint on a child's life.”
In addition to teaching, Kazma is the head coach for her school’s Girls on the Run and Run clubs.
At the ceremony, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin also presented awards, along with a $150 check from FUTURES, to the following three teachers who embody this year’s district theme of “Where Every Future Begins”:
