Following are the major points from the School Board Reorganization Meeting on December 9, 2025.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chair Spray. Ms. Felton read the district’s vision and then recognized the many holy days celebrated in December and invited a silent prayer, wishing celebrations full of joy. Chair Spray introduced district employee Veteran Laura Cox by describing her military service and many awards and recognitions while serving. Ms. Cox led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Student Celebration/Recognitions
Ms. Carson, Director of Communications, using entertaining and relevant puns and wit, introduced the student recognitions for the evening.
Parrish Community High School Girls Golf Team State Champions
Head Coach, Erin Lisch, introduced the women on the golf team who brought home the Florida state championship by working together as a team and as individuals. Four of the top five will return next season with the hopes of repeating their success next year.
Braden River High School Pirates Marching Band State Champions
Clifford Dawson, Band Director, introduced the student leaders representing the full band. He remarked this is the seventh state championship and first Grand Championship fulfilling this year’s goal of “better than last year.”
Public Comments – There were six public comments.
MJ – Spoke as a county resident on behalf of parents and community on concerns over Schools of Hope. She requested 1) release of financial impact information of program if just Lincoln Middle were co-located; 2) workshops at the two schools that received co-location letters; 3) commitment to educate parents about Schools of Hope at all upcoming school meetings; and 4) adopt the resolution provided opposing co-location. She is concerned that the community is unaware of the program and requests the district help in educating parents. She presented each of the Board Members with a packet that included the League of Women Voters’ researched paper and executive summary about Schools of Hope, as well as a draft resolution for consideration.
[LWV note: Follow these links to the LWV papers: Executive Summary and White Paper.BE – Speaking on behalf of Save Florida Home Rule, she asked the School Board to take a stand against the 2025 revision of the Schools of Hope legislation that calls for the takeover of under enrolled public schools by corporations. The Florida Constitution guarantees home rule and this interference in school district control of its school buildings is clearly state government overreach and preemption of home rule.
JL – Spoke as a Manatee County public school student concerned about Schools of Hope and the sexual offenses that occurred this year. He spoke to the siphon of funding intended for public schools and how “One operator, Success Academy is asking for $50M in start-up costs, plus a bonus of $5K for every enrolled student every year.” He also is worried about security and doesn’t want the private hope operator entities to have access to all of this personal information. He encouraged the district to “remain transparent by communicating proactively. Otherwise, the public may misdirect their anger towards this board, not understanding this district’s lack of authority over Schools of Hope.”
MLP – Requested that School Board Members and District Leadership take the responsibility to work to advocate for the repeal of the Schools of Hope co-location legislation/rule and support Senate Bill 424. Her suggestions included educating themselves and educating the community about the impact and implementations of co-location at Lincoln Middle School and the Harllee campus. She requested they pass a resolution, amend their Legislative Priorities, and meet with the local legislative delegation. She also asked they meet with SAC and PTA/PTOs to educate parents about the impact of co-location.
EG – Pointed out the 2025 Schools of Hope changes create major problems for our district, including a significant financial burden, privacy and safety risks from co-located charter operators gaining access to student data and security information, and a loss of local control as public assets shift to state-appointed and private operators. All schools are now vulnerable, turning SOH into a broad public-asset takeover. She added despite these impacts, the Board has remained largely silent, leaving the public unaware of what SOH and co-location mean for their schools. The Board must step up with clear communication—holding public information sessions, explaining risks, identifying at-risk schools, clarifying its response to state mandates, and providing regular updates.
KW – American Legionnaire, asked district staff and board members to encourage student participation in the upcoming American Legion Student Oratorical Contest. Participants are required to give an 8–10-minute speech without notes based on the Constitution and respond for 3-5 minutes to a related topic drawn from a hat. Monetary awards are given. The local contest will be held on January 10. [LWV note: See link for details.]
Reports and Presentations
Office of Student Assignments Presentation – School Choice SY 2026-2027
Jamara Clark, Director of Student Enrollment, briefed the School Board on the work of his department and the Office of Student Assignment where six staff members offer bilingual services to enroll students K-12. He also manages the Choice Program, describing the impact of current rezoning. He highlighted the addition of an east county office for easier access. The Choice window is from January 5-31. Lottery applications not accepted will be placed on a waitlist for the 2026-2027 school year. Controlled Open Enrollment (COE) opportunities to attend a school other than a zoned school is based on enrollment and class size. He reinforced that no action by parents is needed if the school the student attends is not changing due to rezoning; if the student is already attending their school of choice; if the student has been rezoned to a new school and will attend the new zoned school. Action is needed if you want to use the Legacy Provision to remain at the current school even if rezoned; if you want to use the Founders Provision as a rising 9th grader to opt into their newly rezoned high school for the 2027-2028 school year; or if you want your student to attend a school that is not your current school and not their rezoned school. He invited parents and the entire community to the STEM and School Choice Showcase on Saturday, January 24, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.
His presentation is found at this link.
Consent Items: – Thirty items were approved 5-0.
Chair Spray closed the School Board regular meeting to open the public hearing for adoption of school board policies. Chair Spray indicated these have been workshopped and mostly mechanical changes. Hearing no comments, Chair Spray closed the public hearing and reopened the general meeting.
New Business (Non-Consent Items)
Approval to Adopt and Amend School Board Policies (General Fund). Approved 5-0. Link to changes here.
Approval to Name the New Elementary School Near Artisan Lakes as Veterans Elementary School. Ms. Felton pointed out the neighboring park honoring veterans will have facilities and walking paths. Mr. Choate agreed the park will give students an opportunity to learn about veterans. Approved 5-0.
Approval of Redistricting Plan and Maps Pursuant to Board Policy 5120.02. Ms. Spray indicated this rezoning is the result of a great deal of work and public comments. She thanked everyone for the effort. Mr. Tatem said the process was well done, even though not perfect, it is a good plan and is “on time and on target.” Mr. Choate thanked staff and felt putting in Founders and Legacy Provisions demonstrated flexibility. Approved 5-0.
Approval of the Budget Amendments for October 2025 (No Financial Impact). Deputy Superintendent of Financial Services, Ms. Sellers described the relevant adjustments. Approved 5-0.
New Business (No Superintendent Recommendation)
Approval of the Board Committee Assignments for November 2025-November 2026 as Discussed at the Annual Reorganization Meeting. Approved 5-0.
Updates
Instruction: Mr. Jensen, Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, gave reminders as the first semester ends that PM2 Math for K-2 is this week and next week for grades 3-8, PM2 reading in January. Math results will be available January 20 and reading results will be out on February 10. Many holiday concerts at being held at schools. On Dec. 17-19 high schools will have early dismissal for exam days. Exam schedules are posted on the school websites. January 5 is a professional learning day for teachers to invest in their own growth and improve their practice. Middle school soccer team playoffs are in the next few days. He directed all to check out the robust athletic calendar across entire district on the district website. Manatee High School classes visited Mote Marine as part of their Guy Harvey Initiative and tanks for snook were delivered and stocked in their marine lab. All seven high schools sent students to visit USF and SCF for campus tours. January 26-30 is state literacy week with the theme of Read White and Blue. Santa, as an engineer, will visit the Soar Lab on Saturday Dec 13, 16, 20. Annual Migrant Fairs are being held at Myakka and Samoset Elementary Schools. The district’s ELL staff provides support for statewide educators.
Operations: Mr. Willie Clark, Interim Deputy Superintendent for Operations, said November 13 Operations Job Fair had 93 attending with a number hired for food service and custodians. The next operations Job Fair will be January 8 at Wakeland. The recruiting team will be at the County Fair on January 15-25 and at the January 24 STEM and School Choice Show Case. Mr. Clark described the traditional holiday menu served on November 20 that was free to teachers and staff to celebrate Education Week. Construction at Rye Ranch is 33% complete; Veterans 21% complete; and design is 100% complete for AAA High School with ground breaking expected in January-February. Transportation received five buses with 10 more due by winter break and five due in January. Four of 12 needed mechanics have been hired. Ms. Spray suggested new mechanics could gain experience to further their careers. Currently the district has 104 bus drivers. Drivers will be in costume during the week of December 15.
Legal: Attorney Dye updated the Board on the negotiations for additional acreage with the Jones Farm/Neal from 39 to 90 acres. Farmer Jones requests to lease back property to use for farming until constructed upon. Also, he is discussing possibly joining the nationwide PFAS/PFOS litigations and will bring information to the board about joining that case.
Superintendent Remarks: Dr. Breslin reported her accomplishments after three months in her position by addressing her six priorities that align with strategic plan. Accelerating academic growth is strengthened by instructional walk throughs and academic coaching stressing classroom literacy practices and with weekly department and cabinet meetings to monitor performance. She described ongoing district participation with USF and other projects. Graduation and College Career Readiness goal achievement is strengthened through Principal and Assistant Principal meetings to review early warning indicators centered around attendance, course placement, and behavior to ensure all students are on track for graduation. She described improvements based on this effort. The Showing Up Matters campaign focuses on improved attendance and strengthening community partnerships, noting the recent county wide curfew. Human Resources review is resulting in improved practices to enhance recruitment and retention. Innovative learning practices are demonstrated at the upcoming Show Case and the Soar Lab. Improvement in operational systems and transparency is enhanced through consistent reporting to the Board through formal updates and ongoing communication resulting in timely responses to issues as they arise, with communication to the community. She said she looks forward to a more thorough report at her 100-day mark and wished everyone a happy holiday.
Board Comments
Mr. Choate addressed the public comments regarding Schools of Hope and sexual harassment. Regarding incidents of sexual harassment, he said district staff has responded to the Board’s concerns. He described the district training in August with the Sheriff, and the board policies and standards to keep kids safe. The Board has allowed staff to implement the right structure to remove teachers when students and public come forward with information. “This should never happen but we are not putting our heads in the sand when it happens.” On the Schools of Hope, he said he is not getting in a debate but he said he has talked to every one of the legislative delegation members to explain the deficiencies in it. He said he believes the district has taken the steps necessary to mitigate co-location but as in poker, not willing to show their hand. He said the district has done everything correctly, responding on time, reacting to what the legislation has done. On a somber note, he noted the recent passing of Brenda Harvey, a long-time educator. Mr. Choate described the partnership with the local Turning Points agency on school campuses that help prevent homelessness. Dr. Breslin made a presentation to Mr. Choate to acknowledge his three years serving as chair with steadfastness.
Mr. Kennedy wondered if anyone else had been chair for three years in a row. He thanked the public commenters and for the draft resolution to consider. He noted the Commissioner of Education’s tone last week at the statewide meeting of Superintendents and School Boards “to get in line.” Mr. Kennedy recounted the takeover of the Jefferson County School District by a charter operator in 2017 who, after five years, left the county in worse shape than they got it. “So, we’ve seen what this looks like.” We do have to educate people about where this is coming from. He appreciates the staff work on the rezoning project as well as Dr. Breslin helping him respond to questions. He acknowledged that the Board does not deserve the credit for getting things done, but the staff does, with the ASCME contract as an example. He praised school-based principals as having the toughest job in the district. He congratulated Chair Spray in her new role.
Ms. Felton provided Board members with an FSBA report. As a member of the FSBA Advocacy Committee, she related that they have added an approved item to the legislative platform about Schools of Hope. Ms. Felton announced she is now a member of the Greater Consortium of School Boards and they will need to vote soon on their legislative platform. She visited Virgil Mills Elementary while it was Grinch Day when the kindergarten class was searching for the gingerbread man who had escaped from the oven, bringing joy while still focusing on academics. She will attend concerts in her district and encourages others to do so. As a member of the Fair Board, she described that for the first time they will have a Media Day to include media/journalism students to participate in a contest. They will put together videos and interviews with their press passes. Regarding Schools of Hope, she assured her fellow Board Members that when she continues to speak to others, she is not divulging the district’s plans. She stressed the importance of speaking about what is happening and the impacts, especially financially, of co-location. She reinforced that the tone of the Commissioner of Education at the luncheon last week was very negative. She indicated that it will take the voice of legislators’ constituents to make changes and encouraged community members to work together and connect with others, offering to provide contact information. She acknowledged she has now completed her first year as a Board Member and thanked everyone for their support.
Mr. Tatem thanked Mr. Choate and congratulated Chair Spray and said she did a good job with her first meeting. Rather than a safety moment, he proved a “leadership moment” and sang portions of the song “One Tin Soldier” a cappella, stressing the need for peace on earth, good will toward men, as a guiding principle to work on little wars within personal and social relationships. [LWV Note: “One Tin Soldier” is a famous 1969 anti-war song made popular by its inclusion in the movie Billie Jack. It symbolizes the futility and cost of conflict, especially during the Viet Nam era.]
Ms. Spray reinforced that leadership takes courage and thanked the public commenters, indicating Schools of Hope was the biggest topic “whispered about” as well as the tone of the Commissioner at last week’s luncheon. She stressed that emphasizing “safety over secrets” has resulted in a lot of students coming forward, showing courage, with the district taking quick action when it happens. She thanked the staff for all their work, especially on rezoning, which is almost perfect.
Adjournment 8:14 p.m.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Chair Spray’s first meeting was a success. Fellow board members demonstrated that they have her back as they respectfully guided her a few times. Mr. Kennedy reminded her that public commenters do not need to sign up for a public hearing item and Mr. Choate reminded her when an item needed a vote.
Observers noted that the Superintendent is now seated at the main dais with the School Board Members, while the district and board attorneys are in the alcove at the side. We commend this arrangement.
Even though policy amendments and additions are thoroughly covered in Board Workshops, we advise the Board to review for the public the topics being addressed before the vote is taken.
While invocations can be controversial, Ms. Felton’s inclusive multi-faith acknowledgment was appreciated.
We commend Board Members for their heartfelt acknowledgment of the tireless work of district staff that culminated in the rezoning plan.
