The School District of Manatee County, in Manatee County, Florida, provides education to over 50,000 students. It employs over 7,000 people.
The School District is managed by the Manatee County School Board and the Superintendent. Dr. Jason C. Wysong is the current Superintendent of Schools. Current Manatee County School Board members are Gina Messenger, District 1; Charlie Kennedy, District 2; Mary Foreman, District 3; Chad Choate, District 4; and Rev. James Golden, District 5.
As of June 2019, SDMC has achieved an overall ranking of âÂÂB,â according to the Florida Department of Education's school grade system, which is based on the New Florida Standards and Florida Standard Assessments (FSA) test results.
The district's administrative offices are primarily located in Bradenton, Florida at 215 Manatee Avenue West. The School District of Manatee County is governed by the School Board of Manatee County, a body of five elected officers, each board member representing a particular geographic area. The current School Board members, in order of district number, are: Gina Messenger, Charlie Kennedy, Mary Foreman, Chad Choate, and Rev. James Golden. Board members are elected every four years, with Districts 2, 4, 5 elected during midterm election cycles (next in 2022) and Districts 1, 3 elected during presidential cycles (next in 2020).
Mrs. Cynthia Saunders was sworn in as Superintendent of the School District of Manatee County on June 28, 2018, following the departure of former Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene, who was named Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools.
On February 12, 2019, the School Board approved a contract to retain Mrs. Saunders as the full-time Superintendent moving forward. Board members cited her performance as Superintendent during the previous seven months, her in-depth knowledge of issues confronting the school district and the fact that her leadership would bring a sense of stability to the district as strong reasons for her continued service.
Controversy: Cynthia Saunders was under investigation by the Florida Department of Education Office of Professional Practices for inflating district graduation rates and was cited with sanctions on her certificate.