Manatee School Board Notes: 3/10/26

The League of Women Voters of Manatee County Education Issues Action Team observes the School Board of Manatee County meetings for items of interest to citizens and to the League, and notes adherence, or lack of adherence, to good governance procedures and the Sunshine Law. The League also provides feedback to school board members. The following are the major points from the School Board Meeting held on 3/10/26.

The meeting was called to order at 5:31 p.m. by Chair Spray. Board Member Tatem read the District Vision, followed by the Invocation by Brother Samuel Tillis from Suncoast Baptist Church.

The Southeast High School JROTC Color Guard presented the colors. US Army Veteran Vincent Fields, who was joined by his wife, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Fields served in the Army for 22 years and has been a teacher at Manatee Elementary since 2022. The Superintendent presented him with a plaque and flag flown over the US Capitol. 

Approval of the Agenda (as amended) – Approved 5-0

Student Celebration/Recognitions

Jamie Carson, Communications Director, thanked the Board for allowing her to “go big” with the many student celebrations at tonight’s meeting and presented the programs.  

Celebration of Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year

Ms. Carson introduced Dawn Stanhope, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County. She and Jerrel Roblase of the Palmetto Boys and Girls Club presented the Youth and Junior Youth of the Year. This year’s Junior Youth of the Year is Kiya H. The Youth of the Year is Shalynn Johnson. Shalynn spoke to the board about her youth and experience during the pandemic, and highlighted how the Boys and Girls Club embraced her and her passion for art. Shalynn will go on to the state competition. She has also been awarded a four-year Florida pre-paid scholarship.

Math Super Stars

1st Place awards in the elementary and middle school Math Super Star Competition were presented by Alison Nichols, Director of Elementary Curriculum, and Dawn Becker, Elementary Math Specialist. The winning teams were from Lake Manatee Elementary School: Andres Myara and Cooper Conaway, and King Middle School: Bridget Tyson and Will Breslin.

VEX Team Recognition

STEM Coordinator Lynn Johnson introduced two VEX Robotics teams that won 1st Place awards and qualified for the VEX World competition to be held in St. Louis, MO. The winning teams were McNeal Elementary’s Thunderbolts: Kenny, Avery, and Mateo, and the Sesame Squad and Whiteout Geckos from Willis Elementary: Ayant, Aaliyah, Lydia, and Austin, Sean, Chris, and Kira. Manatee County sent VEX Robotics teams from 22 elementary and 7 middle schools to compete last week. Six elementary schools won awards, and three schools earned Honorable Mentions. Three middle schools won awards, and three won Honorable Mentions. Mr. Tom Brugos of Witt Elementary was recognized as the VEX Teacher of the Year Awardee for the North/Central Florida Region.

Recognition of Student Athletes

Manatee High School Coach Rich Lansky introduced student Sherrickia King for her accomplishments in weightlifting. Sherrickia won the State Championship in Weightlifting for the second year in a row.  

The Girls’ Weightlifting Team from Braden River High School was also recognized for the team’s State Championship win. Coach Jordan Borges shared that in the last 4 years, the BRHS team had won 4 District Championships and 3 Regional Championships. The team has won 50 straight meets and claimed the State team-level championship this year. It is the first state title for Braden River High School and the first girls’ wrestling team in Manatee County to win a state title.

Celebrating District Students - National Merit Finalists

Three National Merit Finalists from Manatee County were next to be honored. Kevin Chen from Braden River High, Richard Lay from Manatee High, and Benjamin Barr from Palmetto High earned the distinction of being in the top 1% of students nationwide.

Public Comments - None

Reports and Presentations 

Instructional Services presented “Advanced Studies and Acceleration,” highlighting District programs allowing growth and advancement from middle school through high school, as well as College and Career Readiness. Contributing staff members were Derek Jensen, Deputy Superintendent for Instruction; Sharon Scarborough, Executive Director of High Schools; Dr. Chuck Fradley, Executive Director of Middle Schools; and Tiffany Spradling, Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction.

The presentation educated the public on the differences between the advanced studies programs offered to Manatee County: Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment (DE). Students can earn college credit through these programs, and schools can accumulate points for the school grade and earn additional funding for the schools and teachers.

At the middle school level, students can take Pre-IB, Pre-AP and Pre-AICE courses and also English I, Algebra, etc., which are high school-level coursework. Mr. Jensen explained the Advanced Coursework Funding from the state. More information about these programs and which schools host them can be found in the presentation slides here.

Consent Items - 15 items were approved 

Public Comment for New Business Items - None

New Business (Non-Consent Items)

Approval of the Budget Amendments for January 2026 (No Financial Impact) - Approved 5-0.
Ms. Rachel Sellers, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, gave the report.

Information Only (No Board Action Required)

Year-to-Date Financial Statements Through January 31, 2026 (No Financial Impact)
Ms. Sellers presented the financial report.

Year-to-Date Charter School Financial Statement Summary Through January 31, 2026

Ms. Sellers reported that two charter schools, Visible Men Academy and Oasis, have been out of compliance. Visible Men Academy had three consecutive months in a row with expenses exceeding income, and these were reported to the state as required by state statute. Oasis has been out of compliance since October 2024 and was reported to the Department of Education (DOE). The DOE followed up with the school for correction plans. Chair Spray requested a report or workshop from the schools with their correction plans. Superintendent Breslin stated the district does have contracts with these schools and can look at legal actions the district can take, especially with Oasis, which has been out of compliance for so long. Dr. Breslin said she would follow up with Mr. Dye when he gets back in town.

Updates:

Instruction: Deputy Superintendent Derek Jensen gave the update. Thursday, the Elks will award the “What Your Country Means to You” essay contest winners. Palmetto HS and MTC will also have awards. Proms and celebrations will begin in April. Many middle school orientations are going on. Harvey K-8 will have its House Cup Award this week. Early release will be for elementary schools in March and April to provide time for parent meetings. There will be no student attendance on Monday, March 23 (record day for 3rd quarter), following Spring Break, which is next week.

Operations: Deputy Superintendent Willie Clark updated the Board, discussing HR recruiting efforts with several job fairs for instruction and one for support staff. Alternative Teacher Pathway events had over 30 people attend. A recruiting team is currently in PA interviewing for teachers; they took beach balls and sand to the snow. Food Services are leaning into classrooms with math skills for measuring and fractions. Custodial Services will do some major repairs during Spring Break while schools are closed. Construction Services – Veterans Elementary is 38% complete; Rye Ranch Elementary is 60% complete, Tillman and Moody Elementaries have architects selected for renovations. High School AAA is pretty messy with the dirt being moved around. Informational Tech – At Buffalo Creek Middle School, 60 Promethean Boards are being installed to replace 2,500 Chromebooks. We are working on updating the car-rider technology at several elementary schools.

Legal: Mr. Pendley reported that all legal matters are under control, healthy, and progressing.

Superintendent Remarks: Dr. Breslin asked Ms. Sellers to explain the process of raising funding for bonding and debt. The Certificate of Participation (COPS) rate is much lower this year at 3.764. The final maturity is July 2035. (Two figures were discussed: $231 and $207.5M.) Dr. Breslin thanked the entire team for their work to obtain the rates and funding. She thanked the Board for the meeting tonight and the celebration of the students. She also thanked the Board for approving the consent items and detailed a few of them. Upcoming workshops will include discussions on start times for students and updates on the strategic plan process. Dr. Breslin said she was honored to speak at the JROTC Military Ball. Please have a relaxing Spring Break, as May is jam-packed with activities.

Board Comments

Felton: She is still trying to get to all schools within two years, but doesn’t want to go during testing; she will have 29 visits finished this week. She has finished all of her traveling and will spend Spring Break on her couch with a book. To respond to many questions, Ms. Felton clarified that she is walking with a cane now and has an autoimmune disease that is causing her difficulty walking. She uses the cane for balance, but is fine otherwise. She also has essential tremors, which are genetic, so don’t worry about that either. To faculty, staff, and students, she said to please enjoy spring break.

Kennedy: As always, he wanted to thank the Superintendent and leadership team for all their work; the reason we have good financial interest rates is due to all the leaders over the past several years. He said the District is in great shape and lucky enough to still be growing when other districts like Broward are cutting positions.

Choate: He said this was a good but short meeting. He added that it is so good to celebrate the students tonight, as well as the parents who support them. Have a great Spring Break. He “dittoed” Ms. Felton and said to take time off during the break.

Tatem: He said it was a great JROTC ball last week. He would like to see a comparison of the graduation rate for JROTC students compared to other seniors, saying that higher civic engagement is shown through studies to lead to higher graduation rates. He then advised that when you sense a voice telling you not to do something, you should listen to it. He gave examples of when he did and did not listen.

Spray: She thanked the staff but wanted to give a special shout-out to the volunteers. There are so many who are unaware of the impact they have on students. She also thanked transportation for all they do. She shared that she threw out the first pitch at the ballgame last week. She went to Southeast HS to watch tennis practice and actually coached while the coach was taking care of other things. She thanked Ms. Cox for the calendars so she can be where she is supposed to be. Ms. Spray stated that they are in the customer service business as Board members, and they need to remember that when parents come into a school, they are our customers. Have a great Spring Break.

Adjournment 7:35  p.m.

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Observers note that the meeting was well run and efficient. We commend the Board for bringing so many student accomplishments to the public’s attention.

Ms. Felton’s testimony as a former teacher to the rigor of the IB program was heartfelt as to the benefit to the students, not only academically, but also financially. 

Chair Spray’s request for a workshop or presentation from Oasis and Visible Men Academy about their recovery plans will benefit the District and the public. 

Members asked good questions during the Advanced Opportunities and College/Career Readiness presentation and during Ms. Sellers’ update.