Candidate Profile: School Board District 3: Julie Aranibar

Manatee County School Board: District 3

Candidate: Julie Aranibar

Age: 50

Residence: East Manatee

Occupation: A medical practice management consultant

Annual income: $40,000

Education: A bachelor degree in business and management, and licenses in three areas by the Association in Science in Clinical Pathology.

Julie Aranibar is no stranger to running a campaign. In 2004, she vied for a seat on the county commission and lost the race. This is Aranibar’s first bid for a seat on the Manatee County school board.

Besides volunteering on numerous civic organizations, Aranibar has also served on many school district committees. She was appointed by three superintendents to sit on the sales tax accountability, budget review and superintendent search committees.

Aranibar said she wants a seat on the school board because she is concerned about district policies such as retirement and rehiring, and about the district’s financial health.

“This year, the (federal) stimulus money will run out,” she said. “When the stimulus money runs out, we need to start looking at policy, at how to manage money. I’ve serve on budget committee for three years and no one from my district is on that committee.”

As a product of a vocational school herself, Aranibar is a big proponent of such programs. She said she could not enter college immediately after high school because she didn’t have the money, so she attended a vo-tech school instead. It then took her 12 years to earn her degree.

“Not all students are able to go to college, many may not have the funding,” she said. “This kind of economy, what our students are facing, was what I was facing in the 70s.”

Aranibar has raised over $47,000 with a suprising amount coming viasmall donations from individuals. Her full campaign finance report can be viewed here.