Following are the major points from the School Board Meeting on August 25, 2026.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chair Spray followed by Mr. Choate reading the district vision. He mentioned that several long time Manatee County school district employees have left the district. He then asked for a moment of silence honoring Brian Wilkes and Bob Bowling, both Palmetto High school coaches and athletic directors, who recently passed away. Palmetto High JROTC instructor, Brian Webb, a highly decorated US Army veteran, led the Pledge of Allegiance and was presented with a flag that flew over the Capitol.
Approval of the Agenda – Approved 5-0
Approval of the Minutes
Approval of the minutes of the July 21, 2026 School Board Meeting and the July 28, 2026, School Board Meeting and Public Hearing (No Financial Impact) – Approved 5-0
Recognitions / Student Celebrations
Jamie Carson, Director of Communications, introduced the celebrations:
Summer Nutrition Program – Ms. Carson shared an impressive video emphasizing that the summer program kept kids healthy during the summer so they are ready to return to school and learn. Regina Toma, Executive Director of School Support Services was introduced. Ms. Toma introduced her team and their partners including the district transportation department, Florida Programs and Grants, Manatee County Government Sports and Leisure Services Department, Tropicana, and the Food Bank of Manatee County. She described their contributions and gave accolades for what each did. She stated they served 227,000 meals over the summer.
Back to School Jam Recap – Ms. Carson shared a video of the Back-to-School Jam on August 9 with Ms. Spray singing the national anthem and Dr. Breslin throwing out the first pitch at the Marauders game. Comments were made that this is becoming a tradition for the partnership between the Marauders and the school district and it can only get bigger. The two mascots and Braden River cheerleaders were at the event and came to the school board meeting. Greg Warzecha, Bradenton Marauders General Manager, thanked the board and said he was looking forward to 2027. Ms. Carson said there were over 4,000 attendees and during the event they distributed backpacks full of supplies to the students. She welcomed any local businesses who would like to partner on this event, to contact her.
Public Comments
KN – said she respects appropriate language at the meetings but she would be using the language as part of her comments. It regards ever increasing bullying and the lack of efforts to stop it. As a parent, she has observed middle school students’ language is being used about race, suicide and physical violence that is clearly meant to hurt or intimidate. “We need to stop treating this as kids being kids.” She reported that teachers say it is hard to catch in the moment. From a student’s perspective it is hard to accept that nothing happens when reported. It can be psychologically damaging. Reporting behavior is difficult. We need to create an environment that stops this. She asked the district to take a stronger stand on this issue.
MJ – spoke on behalf of the Manatee Education Team for the League of Women Voters. She said the Strategic Plan as presented lacks specifics and made three recommendations. (1) rename the document to Manatee Momentum, A Strategic Framework for 2026-2029; (2) include a brief explanation in the Superintendent’s letter as to why it is a Framework rather than a full Strategic Plan, (3) include where the public can access the details supporting the framework. She expressed her appreciation of Dr. Breslin for her rapid response to LWV concerns.
LD – said he has been here before asking to open schools on the weekends for recreation. He would like to be able to take his autistic son to Sugg MS to play basketball and Bayshore HS to run track on the weekends. Taxpayer-funded money paid for these facilities and he would like to have access to them when not being used by the school. He reminded the board that many cannot afford to join leagues or gyms and would like access to spaces that citizens helped pay for. He asked the board to reconsider their policy on access.
BT –indicated he was discharged from Lee MS as a substitute apparently because he has arthritis in his leg. He said he spoke to a woman at the school who wondered where he was. She was unaware that a letter had been sent that said he was no longer able to be a sub. He said he went to Parrish HS and everything went fine. He wants to know if he is discharged or can he go back substituting.
Reports and Presentations
Presentation of the School District of Manatee County Strategic Plan
Mr. Kevin Chapman, Associate Superintendent, presented the Strategic Plan for 2026-2029. Mr. Omar Edwards, and Ms. Chrissy Kavanagh were also part of the team who shepherded the process and will facilitate the next steps. “Manatee Momentum” is the theme and it focuses on “Portrait of a Graduate”. The next Board meeting will have a new Purpose Statement read. Commitments and four Priority Areas are described in the document: Student Learning and Support, Employee Retention and Wellness, Community and Family Engagement, and Financial Stewardship and Long-term Sustainability. Goals and Benchmarks are provided for each of the priorities.
[Link to Strategic Plan document:He yielded to Dr. Breslin for how she is planning on developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as that is most important to accomplish goals and meet the benchmarks. Dr. Breslin explained that the district will use this framework as their guide for the next three years and each year will develop KPIs for each indicator. Her next evaluation will be based on the KPIs. On September 15th, the KPIs will be listed so everyone can know how she will be evaluated. There will be additional information on the website and it will be updated as they progress. She used pre-K as an example of an indicator. Once approved, they can add where this information can be found. The use of a QR code linking to the website page with the KPIs was discussed and appeared to be met with a great deal of approval.
Mr. Kennedy asked Mr. Chapman how we got to this point as it has been worked on for over a year. Mr. Chapman said he started in February by form a steering committee that met three times during the year gathering input from the business community, SAC members, non-profit leaders, and several members of other organizations, including LWV, and district staff. There is a picture of the team on page 14 of the document. Feedback was received from as many voices as possible and formed internal themes for goals and benchmarks. This is only a three-year plan as the world is changing so fast. Each school year it will be updated.
The electronic format will link all School Improvement Plans to the Strategic Plan so Principals, and their respective communities can see how they are aligning to the Strategic Plan.
Ms. Spray asked if it could be written as a Framework. Mr. Choate said he did not think it needed to be changed but thought the process didn’t ask for stale numbers for three years out. Bottom line is that there will be KPIs in place and they will be accessible. He didn’t think it requires a change in the name of the document.
Ms. Felton said it could be worded either way and liked that it will include how it can be found electronically. She appreciated the suggestions made tonight.
Mr. Tatem said he thought Mr. Choate had two good suggestions. He said he agreed the KPIs do not need to be included in this document. He thought Framework captured the concept better. The plans/benchmarks/KPIs will come from the people actually responsible for implementation and then sent up to the Superintendent for approval.
Ms. Spray asked if there was a motion to change the wording to Framework. None was made.
Mr. Chapman reviewed several of the priority items. Strategic Plan Activation includes Immediate, Short-Term and On-Going Engagement and will be taken to community organizations so there is a clear understanding of what the school district is doing. There will also be a tri-fold document for the public to access. With seventy sites within our district, it is difficult to build a district culture and this will help us create it.
Mr. Edwards led the audience in a chant saying when anyone says “Manatee” you say “Momentum.”
Ms. Felton said when she was still in the classroom the word “retention” was not even in the Strategic Plan. She is elated that “retention and wellness” are one of the key priority areas. Every person who works in the district is a key asset; therefore, the focus of Section 2 is so important and she thanked the staff who made this a priority in this document.
Mr. Choate thanked all employees and community members who contributed. He wants the QR code on every document we put out regarding the plan.
Mr. Kennedy said the document is a microcosm of how the district functions – people work on it, send to the Superintendent, and it is brought to the board. He read several benchmarks and asked if they are measurable. He said they were attainable and measurable.
Ms. Spray thanked the staff for taking the Board’s ideas and for making sure they were in the document. She said she was extremely proud of all of the staff who were part of the development.
Mr. Chapman thanked the Board for their input and all of the people who spent so much time to bring the document through the process.
Consent Items
20 items were approved 5-0.
New Business: (Non-Consent Items)
Approval of the New School District of Manatee County Strategic Plan (No Financial Impact) Approved 5-0.
Approval of Advertising a Notice of Intent to Amend School Board Policies and Setting a Public Hearing at the Board Meeting on October 6, 2026 (General Fund) Approved 5-0.
New Business: (No Superintendent Recommendation)
Information Only (No Board Action Required)
Updates:
Instruction
Mr. Jensen, Deputy Superintendent, indicated the district just wrapped up the 12th day of school. Progress Monitoring 1 (PM1) assessments begin next week and go through September 18. He said the student’s individual reports would be available several days following the testing and indicated how parents could access those through FOCUS. In an effort to provide additional MTC opportunities across the district, he indicated that over 100 are registered at Bayshore High School for adult education evening classes. In September curriculum will include highlighting 911 Heroes, US Constitution, Hispanic Heritage month, and Freedom Week. Of the thirty-one VPK sites, 28 earned the highest Excellence rating, and the other three earned the next highest, “Above Expectations” rating. One PreK classroom at Palma Sola Elementary, received a perfect score, one of 11 in the state. Our school district was one of 20 chosen to participate in a Student Service Challenge that includes service hours and an essay. Forty students will have the opportunity to receive $500 from the Florida Lottery funds.
Operations
Mr. Clark, Deputy Superintendent, gave an update on the recent Operations Jobs Fair, where numerous custodians, food service workers and bus drivers as well as an RN and LPN were hired. The next fair is October 15th from 9 to 4 at Wakeland. Regarding Safety and Security, he acknowledged high school athletics are going on and thanked the Guardians who are there at all events. Information Technology (IT) team installed over 500 interactive boards over the summer. The IT department’s strategic plan is coming in October. Over the summer several high school tracks were resurfaced and parking lots were also done at several schools. Mr. Tatem asked about concerns at Willis Elementary regarding traffic and the adjoining the park. Mr. Clark said traffic flow changes were made, they are going well and he has not heard any complaints. Mr. Tatem thanked him for being proactive.
Legal
Mr. Dye indicated an outside firm is looking at billions of dollars in rebates on tariffs that are going to importers but not the customers. With all of the district construction over the last two years they are looking to see if our district has a meaningful claim. He will keep the Board informed.
Superintendent Remarks
Dr. Breslin thanked the board for approving 20 items on the consent agenda and listed several that will be especially beneficial to the district. She visited Myakka and Witt Elementary Schools each of whom made exceptional gains last year and they are off to a great start. She will visit Parrish Community and Bayshore High Schools this week. She was a featured speaker at the Chamber Headliner event this week. She started a task force with Deputy Superintendent Jensen so that every student will have access to financial literacy and can graduate with their post-secondary plan. She shared a giant check to Manatee Education Foundation from Carl Reynolds Law for Day of Giving.
Board Comments
Ms. Felton – Encouraged all teachers to apply for teacher impact grants from the Manatee Education Foundation. She shared how she used hers when she was teaching and said you can do amazing things with these grants. Today the Manatee Board of County Commissioners approved funding to organizations from the Children Services millage fund. She is putting together a spreadsheet for fellow board members to see the organizations with whom the district partners that receive funds to support students. This information will be important as discussions come around voting on Amendment 3 and its impacts on the millage that supports these organizations. She thanked everyone who worked on the Strategic Plan.
Mr. Choate – thanked Dr. Breslin for her presentations to organizations in a room full of community businesses at the Chamber event. He thanked everyone in the district at all positions who have been part of the very smooth school opening. Manatee School Foundation executive director, Kathy Price, is leaving September 30 and he is part of the search committee that has narrowed the pool to five finalist candidates. He said, “I think we can take this foundation to another level beyond its already huge success.”
Mr. Kennedy – led with his theme of gratitude to this team who makes us so successful. He empathized with the public commenter about bullying, saying anyone who has been in a school and classroom and when we hear language that can be hurtful, we really do have to be vigilant about the protection of our students’ mental health even though we can’t catch it all. It is up to us as adults, and up to us up here as policy makers, to create a framework that supports teachers to step in and take corrective actions. He wants to hear what we can do at the governance level with input from teachers and principals. It was a tough comment to hear but we need the reminder that we do have a role in this. Public use of school facilities outside of the school day can be discussed at our joint meeting with the county.
Mr. Tatem – shared an Air Force Video about the importance of respecting each other. He gave a quote from General Washington that was used at the academy regarding the use of improper language that he had seen growing. He indicated this was appropriate in regard to the comment made tonight about student language. He said there was never any rule that said you had to like the people you work with; but you had to respect them. We can see how that relates to every employee of our school system.
Ms. Spray – said an individual approached her who witnessed a parent dropping off a student in a dangerous place and the parent used foul language toward the student, and Ms. Spray felt it should not be permitted. It should be in our documents and policies regarding language. We need to push back. She will be at a chamber workshop tomorrow. She addressed using school facilities, saying they should be shared and added, “We need to be conscious of our facilities’ usage.”
Adjournment 7:41 p.m.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
The observers appreciated Ms. Felton thanking the Summer Food Program people and the relationship they are building with the community. We commend her for visiting several sites during the summer.
Ms. Spray’s acknowledgment of public commenters’ concerns while describing the role of the board members during the public comment period was observed to be effective guidance and respectful. She reminded that Board Members could not respond but also indicated staff members were taking notes for follow up.
Discussions among the board members were observed to be respectful and collegial.
The observers noted that Mr. Tatem understood that specific strategies must be articulated to accomplish the goals of the strategic plan.
We recommend that a published QR code go to the district website page dedicated to the strategic plan, and not to the district home page. Add hyperlinks on the Strategic Plan page that go to the specific strategies/actions plans, updates and progress toward key metrics.
Items on the Consent Agenda should be routine and regularly occurring matters; therefore, we were disappointed that no board member pulled the Consent Agenda Item 10.20 for discussion to contract with an outside law firm to provide district attorney services.
