Sacramento 'Teacher of the Year' rewarded with pink slip

Michelle Apperson was recently named her school district's "Teacher of the Year," so she'll have a nice framed certificate to place beside her unemployment checks. Shortly after receiving the award, the Sacramento City sixth-grade teacher learned that she'd lost her job, one of the many victims of statewide budget cuts. "It hurts on a personal level because I really love what I do," Apperson said. "But ... I get why it happens." Apperson, who had been at the school for nine years, is reportedly No. 8 on a list of potential rehires if the district ever finds the necessary funds. "[This situation] is another sign of how education's funding really needs an overhaul," a school district spokesman said.