- December 4, 2025
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Misty Mathis, a finalist to become the School District of Manatee County's next superintendent, knows she needs to have the right moves if selected.
Mathis said she would have five bosses — members of the school board — and compared working with the board members to having different dance partners.
“Sometimes when I'm dancing with one, they may want to lead and then other times maybe I can lead,” Mathis said. “Perhaps another board member will say, 'Let's do the waltz this time.”
Superintendent finalists Laurie Breslin and Mathis were interviewed by the School District of Manatee County school board members in a panel setting early Aug. 18. Later that day, the finalists met with community members at a meet and greet at Manatee Technical College.
Mathis has been the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the Nassau County School District since 2021. Since 2023, Breslin has been the executive director of student support and family engagement for the School District of Manatee County.
Breslin certainly has familiarity with the school district.
“Not only as an employee of this school district, but as a sister of someone who's taught in this district for over 20 years, as the daughter of someone who worked and retired from this district, and as a parent of kids who have gone through this district,” Breslin said. “I graduated from this district as well. I do have all of these personal examples of how the district has shaped our lives.”
Mathis would like the chance to build experience in the School District of Manatee County. She said she already has encountered many "marvelous and phenomenal things" happening in the district.
“The message from Manatee is 'We're thriving,'” Mathis said. “The message from Manatee is 'We're innovating.' It's just an amazing place and the school district mirrors all of that.”
Mathis said her goal has been to serve as a superintendent, but her career has not been simply about chasing a position.
“It has been about preparing to lead with integrity, with wisdom, and a relentless focus on students,” Mathis said. “Today, I stand ready, not just because this has always been my goal, but because my experiences, my preparation, and my heart for children have led me to this moment.”
Mathis said her leadership would reflect the idea of setting nonnegotiable goals for learning, to accelerate student achievement, through working with the school board and making sure they stay aligned with those goals.
“A unified board and superintendent vision ensures consistency, reduces distractions, and sends a clear message to the staff in the community,” Mathis said. “Once our community is able to see that we're aligned, that the board and the superintendent function as one team, we're able to show the community it can trust all of us together as one united front.”
Breslin said her experience as an administrator and principal has given her the opportunity to work with different leaders, which will come in handy when figuring out how to best work with school board members.
“We can work through challenges or disagreements and not end in a way that negatively impacts the future of the district,” Breslin said. “Anytime we have a change on any level in a school district, it potentially could impact the classroom and the last thing we want is to impact the classroom (in a negative way).”
Breslin stressed the importance of transparency when leading a district, stating trust is hard to build and easy to lose. She said the district can't lose the trust of its parents.
“I do believe in the past, that's been a challenge that we've seen as the district," Breslin said. "Things have gotten in front of us before we have been able to respond in a timely manner,” Breslin said. “I think if you have a timely, transparent and factual response, people are going to start turning to you.”
Breslin said listening to the experts around her will be essential.
“You need people around you who are going to speak truthfully to you, and you need the ability to listen to them,” Breslin said.
She emphasized the importance of being clear in what the expectations are for teachers and other staff members.
“Just because I have been here, I can't assume that I understand what everyone is thinking and feeling,” Breslin said.
Breslin said it’s important to set aside time for teachers to have access to her if she were to become superintendent.
“We can't assume — just because we taught at one time — that we know what it's like to teach today,” Breslin said. “Keeping that door open is huge.”
Both Breslin and Mathis said safety and security are high on their priority lists.
“With that being said, I'll expect that of every single staff member,” Mathis said. “When we're talking about the safety and security of students, there's really no excuse to not do exactly what we're supposed to do.”
Breslin said nothing is more important than the safety of the children in schools. She said the physical safety, in terms of the use of Evolve machines and guardians present in the schools, is pretty well covered but there are other areas that could be improved.
“We need to do a better job of making sure our children are safe from anyone who wants to do them harm,” Breslin said. “We need to teach our children how to avoid situations that might come up and teach staff how to identify situations that might come up.”
Breslin said the district could open its doors more to the public.
“My conversation with different people around town has been filled with positive energy,” Breslin said. “In terms of interviewing, in a long interview process for a high level job, I couldn't say more positive things about it. It has been great.”
“When I look at Manatee County, I see a district with its best days still ahead, and I want to be a part of writing that story with you all,” Mathis said.
There is a public feedback survey available on the School District of Manatee County website (ManateeSchools.net/page/Superintendent-Search) that will be open until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 24. The school board will pick the superintendent during the regular school board meeting Aug. 26.
