Manatee County School Board District 4: Jim Daniel

Name: Jim Daniel

Age: 63

Occupation: Certified public accountant

Family: Married, three children and three grandchildren

Education: BSBA in accountancy from the University of Central Florida

Elected government experience: None

Why are you running for this position?

I believe I am the candidate with the best combination of technical experience, community service and demonstrated team-building needed to meet the challenges facing the School District of Manatee County.

What uniquely qualifies you for this position?

I am the only candidate that has raised children in the Manatee County school system, elementary through high school on both sides of the river. I am the only candidate that is married to a Manatee County teacher, has a son working in middle school and a daughter at one of our high schools. I am the only candidate who has provided community service to Manatee County for more than 30 years. I am the only candidate with more than 35 years’ experience as a finance professional. I am the only candidate with inter-agency experience in Emergency Operations during hurricanes Andrew, Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Katrina. I am the only candidate that has invested his life in Manatee County.

These unique perspectives provide me with insight into district operations that no other candidate can offer. I bring a skill set and an understanding that is lacking in all the other candidates.

My 35 years’ experience as a CPA , auditor and controller not only provides the insight into what questions need to be asked but to know the question has to be asked in the first place. I will demand accountability and transparency.

Over 30 years of providing leadership in local community service organizations including but not limited to: The Palmetto Jaycees (past-president); Manatee County Chapter of the American Red Cross (two terms as past chairman); 15 years as Red Cross representative at Manatee County Emergency Operations; Rotary Club of Palmetto (past president).

What do you see as the three biggest challenge facing the district and how do you propose to address them?

Safety of our students, teachers and staff is the highest priority. Immediate needs include:

• Immediate hardening of all schools with priority to elementary schools without certified law enforcement officers as School Resource Officers.
• Come to agreement with Manatee County for conversion from Guardians to certified law enforcement officers for 2019-2020 school year. Unlike the failure to provide financial information during this year’s request for certified SRO’s, the school board should provide whatever financial data is requested by Manatee County.
• Guardian training beyond 144 hours. The infighting and gamesmanship between the Board Members has to stop. It’s only in the last 12 months that this discord has been happening.  We have to change the dynamic. The board should outline a strategic plan and bring in the best superintendent it can find to finalize the details of how the plan will be implemented so he or she has ownership in the plan.

The third priority must be finding a new superintendent.

What ideas do you have for improving the district's operations?

Holding students at the learn to read/read to learn point instead of promoting them up without the necessary skills. Waiting until they fail the assessment tests in third grade means they have been a failure without the necessary skills for two or more years.

How and when do you feel the board should move forward with the superintendent search?

The school board should immediately begin to establish the criteria to be used in the search and the qualities and experience desired in the new superintendent. The use of a professional search firm for a national search would be appropriate after the board has determined what they want.

Do you think the school board should consider in-house candidates for the superintendent post. Why or why not?

History has shown us that local candidates such as Gene Witt and Dan Nolan have been much more successful than out-of-town candidates such as Roger Dearing, who took us to the edge of bankruptcy. Under the current circumstances, the School Board of Manatee County should consider any candidate from any source that meets the criteria established for selection of the new superintendent.

What is your opinion of the school district’s plan to ultimately set up an in-house police force, both short and long-term?

Our biggest leadership failure was not providing Manatee County with the financial information they needed to evaluate our request. The commissioners had no choice but to reject our request for certified law enforcement officers in school resource positions. As a result, the best option available in Manatee County for 2018-2019 is Guardians. This is not adequate protection for our children and an agreement with Manatee County for 2019-2020 should be an immediate priority.

What other issues do you see as important for the district to address over the next three years and what ideas do you have about them?

• Trust – Teachers believe the District administration is cheating them. The public believes the district administration is hiding things. Trust begins at the top.
• Accountability – The opposition to the additional one mill tax did not say the funds weren’t needed. They complained about the continual lack of accountability demonstrated by the district.
• Student achievement – Two more schools on the chopping block. We have to identify ways to meet the students’ educational needs. What we are doing now isn’t working. Gaining A status for the district by spinning off and closing problem schools has to stop.