School District of Manatee County

Last updated

School District of Manatee County
Seal of Manatee County Schools.png
Location
Manatee County, Florida
West Florida
United States
District information
TypePublic
MottoInspiring our Students to Learn, Dream and Achieve
GradesK-12
SuperintendentDr. Jason C. Wysong
Budget$1056 million [1]
Students and staff
Students50,000
Teachers3,500
Staff7,000
Other information
Website School District of Manatee County

The School District of Manatee County, in Manatee County, Florida, provides education to over 50,000 students. It employs over 7,000 people.

Contents

The School District is managed by the Manatee County School Board and the Superintendent. Dr. Jason C. Wysong is the current Superintendent of Schools. Current Manatee County School Board members are Gina Messenger, District 1; Charlie Kennedy, District 2; Mary Foreman, District 3; Chad Choate, District 4; and Rev. James Golden, District 5.

As of June 2019, SDMC has achieved an overall ranking of “B,” according to the Florida Department of Education's school grade system, which is based on the New Florida Standards and Florida Standard Assessments (FSA) test results.

Senior Leadership

School Board of Manatee County

The district's administrative offices are primarily located in Bradenton, Florida at 215 Manatee Avenue West. The School District of Manatee County is governed by the School Board of Manatee County, a body of five elected officers, each board member representing a particular geographic area. The current School Board members, in order of district number, are: Gina Messenger, Charlie Kennedy, Mary Foreman, Chad Choate, and Rev. James Golden. Board members are elected every four years, with Districts 2, 4, 5 elected during midterm election cycles (next in 2022) and Districts 1, 3 elected during presidential cycles (next in 2020).

NameDistrictBiography
Gina Messenger1Gina K. Messenger she grew up in Northwest Bradenton and graduated from Manatee High School in 2005. Many members of Gina's family served as public service role models. Gina's grandmother, Carmela Busciglio, was a teacher in Manatee County. Her father, Joe worked in the Manatee County Health Department for 38 years and her Mother, Karla, is a registered nurse. An early experience volunteering at Jessie P. Miller as a high school student influenced Gina's decision to become a teacher. Gina's sister is also a teacher and educates college students in Tampa. Gina attended the University of Central Florida received many awards, including The President's List and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 2009. After graduating she went on to teach in Marion and Orange Counties. Her experience teaching rural and inner-city environments emphasized her focus on the importance of Title I (high poverty) and early childhood education. While teaching in Orange County, Gina was rated a “highly effective” teacher. Gina married her college sweetheart in 2012 in Orlando. Gina and her husband live in Parrish and have a single daughter. [2]
Charlie Kennedy2Charlie Kennedy grew up in Pittsburgh attending Mt. Lebanon High School and, before moving to Bradenton, had been coming to Manatee County since being a young fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their spring training home. Kennedy earned a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh (1994) and Masters of Education from Duquesne University (2003). Kennedy moved to Bradenton in 2004 where he began his teaching career. Kennedy has been a teacher of Social Studies and other subjects at YouthBuild Public Charter School in Washington, DC, the Pendleton School at IMG Academies and Manatee High School. Recently, prior to becoming a School Board Member, Kennedy was an 11th and 12th grade teacher of U.S. History, Economics and Government at Manatee High School. [3]
Mary Foreman3Mary and her family have lived in Bradenton since 2001. Mary received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Florida Atlantic University and worked as a CPA until her retirement in 2019. She and her husband, Gary, have been married for 45 years. Their two children, John (graduated Manatee High School 2005) and Kate (Bradenton Christian School, 2001), have both gone on to earn advanced degrees. Mary has been a member of the Manatee County School District’s Audit Committee since its inception in 2013 and was its recent Chairperson. Accordingly, Mary has deep familiarity with the District’s budget and operations. She is uniquely positioned to make sure that money for education is used for the greatest benefit of the students. Mary has volunteered countless hours reviewing the work of the District’s auditors and making recommendations to the School Board based on the audit reports. She has worked to ensure accountability. In addition to active involvement in her children’s education, Mary was a member of the Manatee County High School SAC for 2001 through 2005 and served as its Treasurer for 3 years. [4]
Chad Choate4Chad Choate was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on August 6, 2021 to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Dr. Scott Hopes. Mr. Choate's appointment term expires in November 2022. He has stated publicly that he intends to run for election to the seat in the 2022 election cycle.
Rev. James Golden5No bio available. [5]

Superintendent

Mrs. Cynthia Saunders was sworn in as Superintendent of the School District of Manatee County on June 28, 2018, following the departure of former Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene, who was named Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools.

On February 12, 2019, the School Board approved a contract to retain Mrs. Saunders as the full-time Superintendent moving forward. Board members cited her performance as Superintendent during the previous seven months, her in-depth knowledge of issues confronting the school district and the fact that her leadership would bring a sense of stability to the district as strong reasons for her continued service. [6]

Controversy: Cynthia Saunders was under investigation by the Florida Department of Education Office of Professional Practices for inflating district graduation rates and was cited with sanctions on her certificate.

Schools

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Charter schools

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manatee County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and largest city is Bradenton. The county was created in 1855 and named for the Florida manatee, Florida's official marine mammal. Features of Manatee County include access to the southern part of the Tampa Bay estuary, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and the Manatee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradenton, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Bradenton is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Bradenton is along the Manatee River and includes the Bradenton Riverwalk. Downtown Bradenton is also home to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmetto, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Palmetto is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was listed as 13,323, up from 12,606 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escambia County School District</span> School district in Escambia County, Florida

Escambia County Public Schools (ECPS), officially the Escambia County School District (ECSD), is the organization responsible for the administration of public schools in all of Escambia County, Florida, in the United States. The district currently administers 35 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and seven high schools, as well as a number of specialized centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince William County Public Schools</span> School division in Virginia, United States

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is a school division in Virginia with its headquarters in the Kelly Leadership Center located in the unincorporated community of Independent Hill in Prince William County, Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 486,943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon County Schools</span> School district in Leon County, Florida

Leon County Schools (LCS) is a school district headquartered in the LCS Admin Complex in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is the sole school district of Leon County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County Public Schools</span> School district in Florida, United States

Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) is the public school district for Orange County, Florida. It is based in the Ronald Blocker Educational Leadership Center in downtown Orlando. OCPS is the eighth-largest school district in the United States and the fourth-largest in Florida. The district serves about 209,000 students at 213 schools and is one of the largest employers in Central Florida with more than 25,000 team members. For 2024, the Florida Department of Education awarded OCPS with a district grade of A, previously earned in 2019 and in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horry County Schools</span> Public school district in South Carolina, U.S.

Horry County Schools (HCS) is a public school district serving Horry County, South Carolina, and is the third-largest school district in South Carolina. It serves over 45,000 students in 56 schools. The district office is located in Conway, South Carolina.

The Middletown Township Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middletown Township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida's 16th congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Florida

Florida's 16th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress which encompasses eastern Hillsborough County and the entirety of Manatee County. In the 2020 redistricting cycle, the district was drawn out of Sarasota and Sarasota County to include more of Tampa's eastern suburbs, including Riverview and parts of Brandon south of Florida State Road 60.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collier County Public Schools</span> School district in Southwest Florida

The Collier County Public Schools is a school district in Collier County, Florida. The district has schools in four cities throughout the county: Everglades City, Immokalee, Marco Island, and Naples. The district employs approximately 3,200 teachers, 49% of whom have advanced degrees. The district includes 58 schools: 29 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, 8 high schools, along with 7 charter schools, two technical schools educating adult or dually-enrolled high school students, and 5 alternative schools. The district has an 'A' overall grade.

The School District of Lee County manages public education in Lee County, Florida. As of the 2019–20 school year, there were 95,647 students attending 119 schools in the district, which had an operating budget of $1.327 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School District of Palm Beach County</span> School district in Florida, US

The School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) is the tenth-largest public school district in the United States, and the fifth largest school district in Florida. The district encompasses all of Palm Beach County. For the beginning of the 2018–2019 academic year, enrollment totaled 192,533 students in Pre-K through 12th grades. The district operates a total of 180 schools: 109 elementary, 34 middle, 23 high, 14 alternative, adult and community, intermediate, and Exceptional Student Education (ESE). It has 27,168 employees and 45,000 volunteers.

Lakewood Ranch is a planned community and census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Manatee County and northeastern Sarasota County, Florida, United States, consisting of approximately 31,000 acres (13,000 ha). It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 34,877.

Volusia County Schools is the public school district for Volusia County, Florida, United States. The district serves the 16 cities of Daytona Beach, DeBary, DeLand, DeLeon Springs, Deltona, Edgewater, Enterprise, Holly Hill, Lake Helen, New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, Orange City, Ormond Beach, Osteen, Pierson, and Port Orange. It is the 57th largest school district in the United States and serves approximately 63,000 students. The district is composed of 45 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 9 high schools. In addition there are 9 alternative schools, 7 charter schools, 2 combination schools, and 1 district virtual instruction program. The district is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/AdvancED.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasco County Schools</span> School district in Florida, United States

Pasco County Schools is a school district that serves Pasco County in the U.S. state of Florida. It is headquartered in Land O' Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin County School District</span> Public school system in Florida, United States

Martin County School District, also referred to officially as the School Board of Martin County, is a public school district that covers Martin County, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmetto Historical Park</span>

Palmetto Historical Park is located in the heart of Palmetto Historic District in Palmetto, Florida, Manatee County, Florida. This site is the original location of Palmetto's first city hall and school building. The Park includes Palmetto's first Post Office (1880), a cottage museum, a historic one room schoolhouse, a small military museum and a reproduction chapel representative of area churches. There is also a chapel, Military Museum and the 1914 Carnegie Library. Palmetto Historical Park is operated by the Palmetto Historical Commission, Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court, the Manatee County Board of County Commission, and the City of Palmetto. The Manatee County Agricultural Museum next door is housed in a building formerly housing Palmetto's police, fire and maintenance personnel.

The Manatee County Public Library is a public library that provides services and resources to the communities and visitors of Manatee County. It is a division of the Manatee County Government's Community and Veterans Services Department located in Manatee County, Florida. The library system provides patrons with in-person resources such as books, movies, and music, as well as online databases to access e-books, e-audiobooks, journal articles, magazines, and other resources. Library services include free events for the public, one-on-one learning sessions, and computers and other technological equipment available for public use. Library cards are provided at no charge to those who reside, own property, attend school, or work in Manatee County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Dodge Community School District</span> Public school district in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States

Fort Dodge Community School District (FDCSD) is a public school district headquartered in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

References

  1. ↑ "Budget / Budget Home".
  2. ↑ Unknown [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Unknown [ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Mary Foreman" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Superintendent / Superintendent".

27°28′48″N82°20′43″W / 27.4799195°N 82.345189°W / 27.4799195; -82.345189

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.