News Briefs

+ Aranibar elected school board chair
The Manatee County School Board elected Julie Aranibar as its chairwoman by a 4-1 vote at its meeting Nov. 19.

Board member Bob Gause was opposed.

The board unanimously selected Dave Miner as vice chairman.

Aranibar said her priority is to get the board to set a stronger set of policies and procedures for itself that are transparent and easy to follow.

“We are coming off a year we’ve never seen before,” Aranibar said. “Under (former chairwoman) Karen Carpenter, we hired a new superintendent and, for the first time, had a vetting process that was clear and open to the public. Now the board moves into a governance role, where we need to establish clear policies and procedures.”

Also Nov. 19, the board unanimously agreed to designate a 10-acre undeveloped parcel it owns at Braden River High School as surplus property it intends to sell.

The money from the sale will go into reserves. 

“Selling this property is part of our fiscal recovery plan we sent to the state,” Aranibar said.

+ Manatee County School District named finalist for grant
The Manatee County School District is a finalist for a “Race to the Top” grant, the U.S. Department of Education announced Nov. 22.

The $28.7 million grant would fund a plan to implement science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) labs in elementary schools.

More than 400 school districts across the country applied for the grant. Manatee County is one of 31 school districts — and the only one in Florida — to be chosen as a finalist.

“This is an extremely exciting opportunity for our school district,” Superintendent Rick Mills said. “This grant would go a long way in helping to prepare the children of this community for the technology-laden challenges of the future.”

Meetings & agendas
Manatee County Board of County Commissioners Meeting — 9 a.m. Dec. 3, at the Manatee County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton

Manatee County Board of County Commissioners Land-use Meeting — 9 a.m. Dec. 5, at the Manatee County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton