MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County voters overwhelmingly approved the continuation of the additional 1 mill property tax county voters first passed in 2018.
One mill equates to a property owner paying one additional dollar in ad valorem property taxes per every thousand dollars of assessed property value.
The 1-mill millage increase adopted in 2018 was in addition to the school district taxes already imposed on Manatee County property owners. As a result of Tuesday’s election, the additional tax will continue to be levied on Manatee County property owners through June 2025. This is in addition to the regular millage rate levied on county taxpayers on behalf of the Manatee County School District.
According to the unofficial countywide election results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website Tuesday evening, 47,206 votes (69.27%) were cast in support of maintaining the additional 1-mill school tax and 20,946 votes (30.73%) were cast in opposition to continuing the additional school tax, with 68,267 ballots cast among Manatee County’s 276,204 registered voters.
The taxation question appeared on the ballot as follows: “Shall the School Board of Manatee County continue the current 1 mill ad valorem millage from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2025, as overseen by the Citizens’ Financial Oversight Committee, to increase student achievement through more instructional time and support; recruit and retain teachers and staff with competitive salaries; expand Career and Technical Education, STEM and Visual/Performing Arts programs; and to distribute proportional funds to Charter Schools pursuant to Florida Statute 1011.71?”
School District support
A series of videos posted at the Manatee County School District website prior to the election state the additional tax revenues generated by the 1-mill increase helps the district attract high-quality teachers, improves teacher recruitment, provides for additional instructional time, enhances STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, renovates science labs, prepares students for jobs and advances student job skills, boosts career and technical programs, advances technology and engineering programs and advances arts programs.
GOP opposition
Representing the Republican Party of Manatee County, the Manatee County Republican Executive Committee posted a resolution at the party website prior to the election that addressed the party’s opposition to the continued additional taxation for the school district.
The Republican Party of Manatee County opposed the continuance of the addition 1-mill school tax. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
In part, that resolution states: “The Republican Party of Manatee County stands for lower taxes and limited government. The Manatee County Republican Executive Committee opposes the 1-mill continuation ad valorem tax for the Manatee County School District. The (school) board represented the 2018 referendum tax would generate $33 million per year. In fiscal year 2020-2021, the tax actually raised almost $47 million. The broad scope and authority of the required oversight Citizens Financial Oversight Committee (CFOC) created upon passage in 2018 has been drastically reduced and limited. The June 2, 2021 letter from the Manatee County School Board CFOC states that, ‘No definitive conclusions can be drawn at this time regarding the success in accomplishing its goals.’ The Manatee County School Board has failed to justify the need for the proposed tax prior to placing it on the ballot.”
The party also paid for and distributed campaign signs in opposition to the continued additional taxation.
MANATEE COUNTY – The Manatee County School Board voted 3-2 to start the school year on Monday, Aug. 17.
The previously discussed reopening plan called for schools to open on Monday, Aug. 10 and that date was changed when the plan was formally approved by the board during a special school board meeting Tuesday evening.
School Board members James Golden, Dr. Scott Hopes and Gina Messenger voted in favor of the amended reopening plan that includes the Aug. 17 opening date. Board members Charlie Kennedy and Dave Miner said they support the plan, but cannot support the Aug. 17 date to reopen schools for in-person learning.
As previously planned, teachers will return to work on Aug. 3 and will now have an extra week to plan, prepare and collaborate in preparation for the students’ return.
For planning purposes, parents have until July 22 to inform their school of their children’s learning option. Parents and children of all grades have three learning options:
Option 1: Attending school in person in a school building five days a week.
Option 2: Full-time online eLearning at home.
Option 3: A hybrid program that includes two days of week of in-school learning and three days a week of at-home eLearning.
The amended and approved reopening plan now allows elementary students to use the hybrid option. The previous reopening plan did not provide the hybrid option to elementary students.
School Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said each teacher will teach one style of learning option. Teachers will not be asked to teach three different styles of learning options.
The plan requires all students, teachers and staff to wear face masks when inside a school building or school bus.
Mask waivers will be granted to those who have a written order from a physician, but those with mask waivers will then be required to wear a plastic face shield instead.
The school board will meet again on July 28 and if needed the reopening date can be re-evaluated based on the COVID-19 conditions in Manatee County at that time.
The board approved plan must be submitted to the Florida Department of Education for approval by July 31.
The reopening plan does not currently call for the school year to be extended, nor does it impact the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks for students, staff and teachers.
Saunders said a COVID-19 outbreak among students and/or teachers could lead to school closures and a temporary return to eLearning for impacted students.
For more information, visit the School District of Manatee County website.
MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County students, teachers and staff members will be required to wear face coverings in school buildings and on school buses if schools reopen on Aug. 10 or soon thereafter.
If the Manatee County School Board decides to delay the start of in-person learning due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, students will start the school year using online eLearning.
The Manatee County School Board made the face-covering decision during the board’s June 25 meeting and reiterated that decision during its Thursday, July 9 workshop.
The face-covering requirement is included in the school reopening plan scheduled to be presented to the board for final approval on Tuesday, July 14. If approved by the school board as expected, the reopening plan will be submitted to the Florida Department of Education (DOE) for its approval.
The reopening plan requirements will apply to all schools in Manatee County, including charter schools and private schools. This includes Anna Maria Elementary School in Holmes Beach.
The Manatee County School Board will decide if and when Anna Maria Elementary School and all others in the school district reopen for in-person learning. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Face coverings were one of many topics school board members and School Superintendent Cynthia Saunders discussed last week. Learning options, extra-curricular activities and reopening concerns were also among the topics discussed.
Face coverings
When discussing mandatory face coverings, Saunders said, “I’ve had just as many differing opinions on this subject as I have on should we open schools or not open schools. Our recommendation is that students, employees or anyone that cannot socially distance is expected to have a face covering.”
Saunders said many schools in the district have already purchased plastic face shields for students and teachers and plastic shields for the desks as well.
“It is very important in the learning years, the formative years, that they (the students) can clearly hear and see the pronunciation of words, the movement of mouth. Some people find it more comfortable to have a shield on than a face mask, so it is my recommendation that if they cannot socially distance, they are expected to have those on,” Saunders said.
Manatee County School Superintendent Cynthia Saunders will oversee the county’s school reopening plan. – School District of Manatee County | Submitted
Saunders said the face-covering requirement will also apply to all secondary, post-secondary and transportation-related facilities, including school buses. She said face coverings will not be required when the children and staff members are outside and safely socially distancing.
“I have had a number of parents contact me and say that their child may have a medical issue or medical concern. We will definitely look into any child or any employee that could have a medical issue and address these on an individual basis,” she added, noting that a form will be used to document allowed face-covering exceptions.
Board member Rev. James Golden said, “You will wear a mask from the time you come into the jurisdiction of the Manatee County School Board until the time you leave, unless the teacher in that classroom exempts you for a medical reason or an IEP (Individualized Education Program).”
Saunders said students and staff will not be subjected to regular or random COVID-19 testing, but temperature checks will be conducted on all employees upon arrival and conducted randomly on students.
Golden asked Saunders to make photographs available to parents that show how classrooms are being set up to accommodate social distancing and other safety measures.
Learning options
Regardless of grade level, parents will decide whether their child or children attend school in person five days a week or continue full-time eLearningManatee at home. Hybrid programs that combine in-school and eLearning will be available for older students.
The updated school reopening plan provides for in-school and/or at-home learning. – Submitted | School District of Manatee County
Saunders recommends all students pre-K through sixth grade return to in-person schooling five days a week. She recommends a hybrid program for seventh- and eighth-graders, and for all high school students and Manatee Technical College students.
Before the school year starts, the school district will confirm which learning method each student will utilize, and that data will be reported to DOE.
In response to a question from board chair Gina Messenger, Saunders said there will be designated opportunities when a student can switch from in-person learning to eLearning or vice-versa.
Saunders also said, “Our eLearning will not be just assignments being pushed on there. There will be actual teacher instruction. If a teacher is teaching 10 students in front of them and has 10 that are at home for eLearning they will be able to see the teacher teaching that lesson streaming live at the same time. They will be able to ask questions, get their questions answered and be a part of the class even though half of them may be sitting in their living room. We have the technology for that to happen.
“If a teacher doesn’t want to do it that way, we’ve given them a day in the week where they can record all of their lessons. If you’re on eLearning, there will be a live or taped teacher instruction. They will see the lesson taught by the teacher. It’s just as if they’re in the classroom. The teaching is going be occurring,” Saunders said.
In response to a question from board member Dr. Scott Hopes regarding eLearning, Saunders said the school district has already purchased many electronic devices to distribute to lower-income families in need, but there are still concerns about internet access at the student’s home.
“I do think we are going to have some problems with internet service, but we will have to come up with a plan for this,” Saunders said.
Extra-curricular activities
When the school year begins, extra-curricular activities including sports, band and cheerleading will be limited to outdoor, socially-distanced training activities only. Saunders said there are currently no plans for students to engage in competitive sporting events with other schools.
COVID concerns
During last week’s meeting, Saunders acknowledged the lingering concerns about the coronavirus.
“We can’t really say that it does not affect children. It is a new virus. Until we have schools open, I don’t really know that we have all the facts yet,” she said.
Saunders’ presentation included a slide that referenced COVID-19 test results for children in Manatee County and Florida.
The slide in the updated Manatee County school reopening plan references COVID-19 testing among youngsters. – Submitted | School District of Manatee County
“If you look at June 12th through now, and you compare our data and the number of cases compared to the state, in each one of these calculations we have exceeded the percent of infected cases per tested children than the state has. We’re at a 35.7% positive rate compared to 24.2% of those tested being positive for the state versus Manatee County. So our percentage is pretty substantial,” Saunders said.
Saunders’ reopening plan presentation can be viewed here.
More information on Manatee County school reopenings can be found here.
MANATEE COUNTY – As a coronavirus (COVID-19) precautionary measure, spring break for Manatee County students has been extended by an additional week.
Manatee County schools, including Anna Maria Elementary School, are now scheduled to reopen on Monday, March 30. School district employees are still scheduled to return to work on Monday, March 23.
At 5:55 p.m. on Friday, March 13, Michael Barber, School District of Manatee County director of communications, family and community engagement, issued the following written statement addressing the spring break extension.
“Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, with the support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has directed school districts across the state to close for two weeks due to concerns related to coronavirus (COVID -19),” according to the statement.
“For the School District of Manatee County, that means schools will be closed to students until Monday, March 30, 2020. Next week, March 16-20, is spring break in the district, so schools were already closed. The district will extend spring break for an additional week to meet the commissioner’s requirements. All extracurricular activities for students, including all athletic contests, will be postponed for the next two weeks,” the statement says.
“The coronavirus pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on our society and across the world, so it is not surprising that it is now directly impacting our schools,” Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said in the written statement.
School District employees are scheduled to return to work on Monday, March 23. – Manatee County School District | Submitted
“We are charged with the safety and security of our students and employees so we will abide by all protocols and procedures endorsed by the CDC, the Florida Department of Health, our Governor and the Commissioner of Education. I know our students, employees and community will rise up to meet the challenges before us,” Saunders said in the statement.
“All school district employees will work the week of Monday, March 23 – Friday, March 27. Instructional personnel will work on professional development and training while support personnel will conduct the regular business operations of the district and prepare for the return of students on March 30,” the statement says.
“School District officials will continue to monitor developments regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) during the next two weeks and will provide updates on district and school websites; social media pages; the mobile app MySDMC and through electronic Connect-Ed phone calls and emails. Additional details will be provided to students, parents and employees next week,” the written statement says in conclusion.
A team of five Anna Maria Elementary (AME) fifth-graders earned first place in the Manatee County School District’s countywide “Battle of the Books” competition on Friday, March 15 at State College of Florida.
The AME team had read all 15 books that are Sunshine State Readers for this school year. The school earned a trophy that will stay at AME until the battle next year. Each member of the team received their own personal trophy and a medal. Battle of the Books is a reading competition that Anna Maria Elementary has been doing every year for the last seven years. This was the first year that the county had a district competition.
