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Manatee School Board selects four semifinalists for superintendent search; formal adoption set for evening meeting
Summary
At a July 29 workshop the Manatee County School Board narrowed the superintendent search to four semifinalists — Dr. Lori Breslin, David Adams, Dr. Misty Mathis and Louis Solano — and directed staff and FSBA to continue vetting ahead of formal adoption at the board—usiness meeting that evening.
The Manatee County School Board on July 29 recommended a pool of four semifinalists in its search for a new superintendent and asked the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA) and district staff to proceed with deeper vetting and background checks ahead of formal adoption at the board's evening meeting.
FSBA consultant Dr. Deborah Pace told the board the search drew 16 applicants from 11 states and that all candidates met the minimum posted qualifications (a master egree and 10 or more years of leadership experience). She said the FSBA would reopen the community survey for public comment on Thursday and run it through Aug. 10 so the board could collect additional feedback before selecting finalists.
Board members each read a numbered list of their recommendations aloud, and district staff summarized the tallies. The board indicated by consensus that the following candidates should advance to the semifinalist stage and be formally adopted at the evening business meeting: Dr. Lori Breslin (candidate 4), David Adams (candidate 5), Dr. Misty Mathis (candidate 7) and Louis Solano (candidate 10). Dr. Breslin received recommendations from all five board members during the nomination process; the other three each received multiple nominations.
Dr. Pace described next steps: once the semifinalist pool is adopted, FSBA and district HR will conduct full background checks, request recent evaluations from semifinalists and provide board members with reference-check results and other vetting materials. She also explained the timetable: the board will meet Aug. 12 to move semifinalists to finalists, full-board interviews are planned for Aug. 18, a community meet-and-greet that evening will be held at Manatee Technical College, and individual board interviews are scheduled for Aug. 19. The board is scheduled to take final action on the name for hire Aug. 26 (all dates as provided by FSBA and district staff).
Votes at a glance - Semifinalist pool (recommended for formal adoption at evening meeting): Dr. Lori Breslin (candidate 4) — nominated by all five board members during the July 29 workshop; David Adams (candidate 5) — nominated by three board members; Dr. Misty Mathis (candidate 7) — nominated by multiple board members; Louis Solano (candidate 10) — nominated by three board members. The board directed FSBA and district HR to proceed with vetting; formal adoption of the semifinalist list was scheduled for the board—usiness meeting later that day.
What happens next FSBA will notify candidates of the board ction after the evening meeting and begin the next-stage vetting. The FSBA team and district staff stated they will gather additional community feedback via the survey reopening through Aug. 10 and will provide materials to board members before the Aug. 12 meeting that will narrow semifinalists to finalists.
Attribution: Quotes and candidate tallies in this article are drawn from remarks by Dr. Deborah Pace and the recorded roll-call nominations taken during the July 29, 2025 Manatee County School Board workshop. The board's formal adoption of the semifinalist list was described as scheduled for the separate board business meeting later that day.
