Letter from your education reporter: There's a lot to look forward to in the 2025-26 school year

From your education reporter

When I tell people I grew up in a small town in Iowa, I sometimes get a smile in return or a puzzled pause.

“How small?” they ask.

My town had a population of approximately 3,000 people, where the closest Walmart is 45 minutes away. 

Imagine Friday night football at the only high school in town, or musicals performed with a very low budget in the school gym because we didn’t have an auditorium.

The high school drew from three small towns, and I graduated with 70 students in my senior class. That is a number people sending their kids to school in this district might not be able to imagine. 

In my hometown and home school, everyone knew everyone. I would regularly run into my teachers from all points of my education: elementary, middle and high school. There was comfort in the familiarity, but also limits in resources and exposure. 

I never had access to most of the programs offered here in the School District of Manatee County, like the Technology Student Association, Robotics, Health Occupations Students of America and more. Don’t worry though, my school did have Future Farmers of America.

Like many small-town kids, I didn’t fully grasp how different public education could look in Manatee County.

Now I’m reporting on the School District of Manatee County on a scope I’ve never experienced. Covering it means keeping my eyes and ears open at all times, visiting schools for fun events, sitting through lengthy school board meetings and more. I am regularly talking to teachers, parents and students from a variety of backgrounds to report the important happenings in East County. 

This year will be a transformative one for the School District of Manatee County. The rezoning process is currently underway and set to begin in the 2026-2027 school year. Lake Manatee K-8 will be open, welcoming students to assist in the overcrowding at B. D. Gullett Elementary and Dr. Mona Jain Middle School. The school board will also determine whether or not a new high school will be built with a tentative $139 million price tag.  

The biggest and probably most important decision to be made is hiring a new superintendent. Many different opinions have been discussed, both by school district leaders as well as members of the public. 

During Jason Wysong's time leading Manatee schools, graduation rates and test scores improved. The school board cited concerns over communication skills and not having the sort of relationship necessary to effectively do their jobs to the highest ability. 

The board will have an important role in finding and hiring a new superintendent who they feel they can work with efficiently and effectively to do the most they can for the students of Manatee schools. 

Education is personal, whether in a town of 3,000 or a district of thousands. Schools are where futures are built and communities take root and blossom. The stakes are always high, and the people — students, teachers, parents — are always at the center.

One of the highlights of my time covering the district so far is the connections I have made. Many of the students I’ve interviewed recognize me, staff at the school board meetings are eager to acknowledge me and ask me how I am. 

I bring my small-town lens with me to every school board meeting and classroom visit. It reminds me to listen closely, ask the needed questions and look for the voices that don’t always make it into the spotlight. It helps me get to the heart of what matters. 

As I continue covering education in East County, I hope to keep learning and expanding my skills, just like the students and educators I’m lucky enough to write about.

I am always open to story ideas, especially from those who are within the schools and the district, and who experience the atmosphere firsthand. If you hear about someone or something that would make a good story, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me at [email protected]. 

Whether you're reading this from a kitchen table in Bradenton, a classroom in Lakewood Ranch, or anywhere in between, thank you. Your stories matter and I’m honored to help tell them.

— Madison Bierl