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Manatee School Board names two finalists in superintendent search
Summary
At its Aug. 12 meeting the School Board of Manatee County voted 5-0 to name Dr. Lori Breslin and Dr. Misty Mathis as finalists in the district's superintendent search and set public and one-on-one interview dates the week of Aug. 18; the board also approved a Seventh Amendment to the North River Ranch purchase agreement.
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The School Board of Manatee County on Aug. 12 voted 5-0 to advance two candidates, Dr. Lori Breslin (applicant No. 4) and Dr. Misty Mathis (applicant No. 7), as finalists in the district's superintendent search and scheduled public and private interviews for the week of Aug. 18.
The board's vote to name the finalists followed discussion among board members about which semifinalists to invite for face-to-face interviews. Board members confirmed unanimous support to advance Dr. Breslin; Dr. Mathis received three board members' support and was also advanced. The motion naming Dr. Breslin and Dr. Mathis passed 5-0.
Board consultants from the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA) and search consultant Dr. Bill Vogel outlined the interview schedule distributed at the meeting. The public board interviews are set for Monday, Aug. 18 in the district boardroom; finalists will attend school tours the afternoon of Aug. 18 and a community meet-and-greet that evening at Manatee Technical College. One-on-one interviews with board members are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 19. The board will hold a full meeting on Aug. 26, at which the board plans to select the new superintendent and authorize contract negotiations.
Administrators said the district will add a short media gaggle before the Aug. 18 meet-and-greet and that dinner for finalists and guests at Manatee Technical College will be shortened to allow a 5:45'6:15 p.m. media period followed by a 6:15'7:45 p.m. public meet-and-greet. Rooms 215 and 203 were confirmed as the locations with audio-recording capability for the one-on-one interviews; the district staff moved a scheduled use of Room 406 to Room 203 so both rooms used for interviews have audio capability.
The district will provide a QR code for public feedback, opening after the community meet-and-greet on Aug. 18 and closing at midnight Aug. 24; board staff said they will provide aggregated public feedback to the board before the Aug. 26 meeting. Board members and staff clarified that the Aug. 18 interviews and the meet-and-greet are not formal board meetings and will not include in-person public comment at the microphone; public comment will be accepted at the Aug. 26 full board meeting and via the QR code / other written channels.
Board members discussed rules for the meet-and-greet to avoid congregating with finalists or appearing to create impropriety; board counsel and FSBA staff said they will circulate guidance and that staff will manage finalists' schedules to ensure smooth transitions. Board members were also advised to review prior superintendent contracts and send suggested contract language to board counsel before the board selects a candidate, because the selection motion typically authorizes the chair or vice chair and counsel to begin contract negotiations and then returns the finalized contract to the full board for approval.
In other brief business, the board unanimously approved the agenda and minutes for recent meetings, and approved the Seventh Amendment to the agreement for purchase and sale for the North River Ranch school site and an associated noncash charitable contributions tax form; each of those routine votes recorded a 5-0 outcome.
The board and staff said finalized interview schedules and logistical details would be distributed to board members and to finalists ahead of next week's interviews. The board moved on to superintendent remarks and other routine items after completing the discussion and votes on the search process.
