[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6485688,"mediaKeyId","5594535-a252c4984be62f9d76a69a959cb784f8","parentId",5594535,"title","Finalist Misty Mathis emphasizes systems, shared goals and community partnerships in Manatee superintendent interview","audioSeconds",5266,"startMs",7285000,"endMs",12551000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5594535-a252c4984be62f9d76a69a959cb784f8&start=7285&end=12551","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5594535-a252c4984be62f9d76a69a959cb784f8/thumbnail_7285000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6485688/Florida/Finalist-Misty-Mathis-emphasizes-systems-shared-goals-and-community-partnerships-in-Manatee-superintendent-interview","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485688-b04ce491bf854aac20104f864afb0e83/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169827&Signature=R8yKl6RBXCpXAznaCmIOZH5M0QQWa2gxRaTo1Pw2h4BudjVtNTlTijZ0YjtcwchN-FeURVwEMk0xbfGmXGuyHMLGK42uxF-IcDs9y9h-TK0VmeibCRdgwcSQtepJFVgm~mlTmULfbjYWQhIrl3LZvzEvr~uJ0n0nt4m6JmioHY-Q2hc73IixGzUBwBXA10~G83SmE0liEI9zgWuaL4DNxIJ1AJAOLa9CunbItbCR0VMa92RMDnsVFIS-3gBgP~OrsYTatw0pT6fYhnM7iCGdYJzAteloE9LBk8J-GWRZ2ZbrQVtMT9LMvVMixzdF4V8amwafkDWYVOB5jXjBzR9aCw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","School District of Manatee County","date","2025-08-18T11:17:46Z","article","BRADENTON, Fla. — Dr. Misty Mathis, the other finalist in the Manatee County superintendent search, presented a systems-oriented plan on Aug. 18 that emphasizes districtwide instructional frameworks, coaching cycles, expanded career-and-technical education partnerships and public accountability.

Mathis opened her 90-minute public interview by saying, “Systems matter, people matter, and results matter,” and described steps she would take in the first 100 days to listen to stakeholders, audit district systems and set measurable priorities.

Why it matters: The board will collect community feedback before selecting a superintendent; the chosen leader will direct academic strategy, referendum and budget priorities and community partnerships across the county.

Mathis placed instructional coherence at the center of her pitch. She described leading an inclusive model at Yulee Primary School (pre-K–2) in which students with disabilities received instruction inside general-education classrooms while ESE staff and paraprofessionals provided consistent push-in supports. Mathis said the campus moved from among the district’s lowest performers to district-leading gains in a single year and that the model became a district best practice and was scaled in later roles.

She also described districtwide work in Nassau County to create a single instructional playbook grounded in Florida’s practice profiles, deploy coaching cycles (model, observe, feedback, reteach), require protected intervention time and expand the new-teacher pipeline through an extended mentoring program. Mathis credited those systems with raising and sustaining district performance, including a recent No. 1 state ranking for Nassau.

On career and technical education, Mathis described expanding CTE pathways, securing donated aircraft for aviation programs, adding telecommunications training in partnership with the county sheriff’s office and using local business and higher-education partners to create apprenticeships and industry-aligned credentials.

Mathis named two priority metrics she would watch: third-grade reading proficiency and graduation rate. She told the board that third-grade reading is a critical early indicator and that work from age 3 through K–3 must be aligned to change students’ long-term trajectories.

On governance and community engagement, Mathis recommended creating a superintendent’s advisory group that includes students, parents, business leaders and teachers; holding listening tours at schools and town halls across the county; and publishing a public district scorecard to track progress against measurable goals.

On finance and operations, she said the board should receive clear budget detail and that transparency builds public trust. Mathis described co-leading a voter-financed millage referendum and chairing an oversight committee that communicated outcomes and built community support.

Mathis closed by saying she would prioritize listening and then align resources to student-centered, measurable goals. The board will take public comments through Aug. 24 before its scheduled final deliberations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Board Meeting - Board Panel Interview of Superintendent Finalists - August 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dr. Misty Mathis, a finalist for Manatee County superintendent, told the school board on Aug. 18 that she would focus on systemizing instruction, expanding career-and-technical pathways, strengthening coaching and new-teacher supports, and building transparent, measurable district goals.","taxTitle","Manatee, School Districts, Florida","taxId",13113,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6485693,"Finalist Lori Breslin tells Manatee School Board she would prioritize early literacy, graduation and attendance",5137,274000,5411000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5594535-a252c4984be62f9d76a69a959cb784f8&start=274&end=5411","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5594535-a252c4984be62f9d76a69a959cb784f8/thumbnail_274000.jpg","/articles/6485693/Florida/Finalist-Lori-Breslin-tells-Manatee-School-Board-she-would-prioritize-early-literacy-graduation-and-attendance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485693-44b5e894c94be735875aa926a692b382/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169827&Signature=c-8b0Wde0kdj5IriEuFEVfKywtpqEpQlPel9fHvnzsN5pAk0UJgK0Gi5Z1FaZBBbQx3iGew62hrfDiCEzAjcQ5njQELw04MOKC-3ze98q3Rp-YRHbdT65IwQf0uzVnQlsPhcvyOglZm-~mmZxYndZs0xK4lpKQcI8s5KyfD9T0wBhWSfZufGsMtexlFyVIoVtgWtIn1OncfTbpxcHm3U8Jn3lrhjbGHVpe4cZ3W0Vr-9ZOMQSL9IFDSsagiyQaH6sEIOIgEBno31dUoM8ZTkUXPS15bdgdLFX6CJge1884JJRDKmWKz~SeNnRnPO8YNZzTPPd28JlzXxTfpVMmsCCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","BRADENTON, Fla. — Dr. Lori Breslin, a finalist in the Manatee County School Board’s superintendent search, outlined a plan on Aug. 18 that centers on boosting early literacy, raising graduation and college-and-career readiness, reducing chronic absenteeism and supporting teachers and specialized staff.

Breslin, who spent more than two decades in public education, told the board during a 90-minute public interview that her instructional approach is to “lead with vision, to act with data, and to involve the community and communication.” She said she has drafted a 100-day plan that begins with listening and learning and emphasizes operational efficiency.

Why it matters: The board will read public feedback on both finalists before making a final selection. The incoming superintendent will set instructional and budget priorities that affect every student and school in Manatee County.

Breslin said sustaining and accelerating third-grade reading proficiency is a top priority. She praised the district’s early-learning work but said K–2 instruction and “research on accelerating learning” must be amplified so gains are larger and sustainable. She described the need to confirm that teachers are using grade-level text, teaching to standards and providing the rigor required, and to pair progress monitoring with actionable interventions.

On graduation and readiness, Breslin said the district is roughly at an 88 percent graduation rate for the class of 2025 and must increase students’ postsecondary readiness, particularly high school acceleration and credential attainment. \"We need to get [college-and-career acceleration] up for high school,\" she said, adding that some students earn diplomas without being ready for work or further study.

Attendance and student support were recurring topics. Breslin told the board the district’s overall truancy rate last year was about 8 percent, rising to roughly 19 percent in the district’s lower quartile of schools — a gap she said “we have to address as a community.” She recommended deeper partner engagement to reduce chronic absenteeism.

On staffing and retention, Breslin pointed to competitive starting pay — she said the district is “competitive with that starting salary of almost $60,000 for our teachers” — and described non-salary measures such as professional learning, respect and listening. She also described a small pilot that used staffing agencies to place 15 certified teachers in hard-to-staff ESE (special education) units while the district pursues longer-term hires.

Breslin described district-level changes she has led previously, including centralizing student-support services (psychologists, counselors, social workers) and moving MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) from paper charts to a technology platform to track interventions and measure return on investment for intervention products.

During the public interview the board asked for specifics on ELL and ESE populations. Breslin said the district serves “over 7,000 students who are ELL” and that about 18 percent of students have an IEP; she emphasized that placement with high-quality teachers and actionable progress-monitoring were critical for those groups.

Board process and next steps: The board invited public feedback through a survey hosted on the district superintendent-search web page; the feedback window remains open through Sunday, Aug. 24 at 11:59 p.m. Board members will receive survey results Monday before their final decision meeting Tuesday.

Breslin closed by pledging transparency. “I commit to lead, with transparency, to lead with factual and timely communication,” she said.

The board will interview additional finalists on Aug. 18–19 and deliberate publicly and in planned one-on-one sessions with candidates ahead of its selection meeting.","Dr. Lori Breslin, a finalist for superintendent of Manatee County Schools, told the school board on Aug. 18 she would focus on accelerating third-grade reading, strengthening K–12 English language arts, improving graduation and college- and career-readiness, addressing chronic absenteeism and supporting teacher retention and ESE staffing.","actionData","errors"]

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Finalist Misty Mathis emphasizes systems, shared goals and community partnerships in Manatee superintendent interview

Finalist Lori Breslin tells Manatee School Board she would prioritize early literacy, graduation and attendance