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

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.