Superintendent Diana Greene "locked in" for four years

The audience at the Manatee County School Board was moved to stand and applaud as the board members unanimously approved a four-year contract for Superintendent Diana Greene Tuesday.

She wasn’t only supported by the board, but members of her church at Pathways United Christian Fellowship and her husband, James, were there to congratulate her. James Greene even brought her a dozen roses.

The board approved a contract for four years, and the option to extend it to a fifth year should the board desire at a later date. Greene’s salary will be $189,955, the same amount her male predecessor Rick Mills would have made.
“I didn’t support a 4-year contract, I wanted a 5-year,” said board member John Colon. “I want to lock her down… so another district can’t take her.”

Greene also requested another modification to her salary: she asked her salary be tied to not only her evaluation but also the achievement of the district’s goals.

During Greene’s evaluation in April, the board released its ratings of the superintendent’s performance to date on a scale of 1, “Well Below Expectations,” to 10, “Well Above Expectations.” With two 7’s, 15 8’s, 39 9’s, and 17 10’s, Greene received an average of 8.9.

“You’ve handled every issue with grace, dignity and civility,” Member Robert Gause said.