Manatee School District welcomes a new leader

 Laurie Breslin didn’t want to reject her first teaching job opportunity in Manatee County back in the early 2000s. Her mom and two siblings were in education, and she graduated from Manatee High in 1995. Also, having not majored in education in college — her degree from the University of Florida in 1999 was in public relations — Breslin wanted to get going on her career and gain some experience. 

The problem? The offer that came Breslin’s way was to be a long-term sub for the year in ... physical education at Southeast High School. “That was really funny,” says Breslin, looking back at the role some 25 years later, “because I have not a single athletic bone in my body.”

So Breslin initially told the principal, “‘I’m not your person. I don’t know how to play sports.’ And he said, ‘You’re dependable. You’re good with the students. I think you are my person.’”

She took the job. And that kicked off a fast-moving, high-achieving career in education, leading to multiple roles in the classroom and in administration, in both Sarasota and Manatee counties. Along the way she earned advanced degrees in education, finishing with a doctorate in teaching and learning from Argosy University. She even co-authored a book on online learning and student achievement — nine years before it became a reality in the pandemic. 

That varied experience culminated in a career highlight Aug. 26, when the School District of Manatee County named Breslin superintendent of schools. She replaces Jason Wysong, let go earlier in the year, in the post that oversees a budget of $1.6 billion, more than 53,000 students and 5,800 employees. Breslin recently talked with LWR Life about her career, goals, challenges and more in the new role. Edited excerpts:    

How did you handle that first teaching job, having no sports experience? 

The best part was, you work in a team. So I worked with my colleagues who were PE teachers on the campus, and they would tell me, ‘here’s what you need to do. Here are the rules. And then the internet. I would sit down and Google ‘rules to tennis’ and then go teach the children the lesson. It was a great lesson in relying on your colleagues and building positive relationships with your students, so that when you are giving them instruction, they’re able to listen and follow. 

What was your favorite class or subject as a student at Manatee High? 

One of my favorite memories as a student was art class. I took art for all four years when I was a student. It’s not anything I was exceptionally good at, but the teachers were very encouraging and supportive, and it just allowed me to have a class you look forward to every day. I, of course, took rigorous coursework as well — though nothing compared to what students take now. But I really looked forward to the art class, because it gave you time to socialize with your peers, work on your creativity and just connect to the campus.

You initially were going to pursue a career outside education. Why? 

I thought, ‘well, I’m not going into education if (my mom and siblings) are teachers.’ So I went into communications and I found I was just bored at what I was doing. I wasn’t fulfilled. And so when I came back and started subbing, my mom — a very smart lady — had me shadow a couple teachers she worked with who were exceptional, and she said, ‘go spend the day with this teacher.’ And I did. And I thought, ‘why am I fighting this?’ I really felt like, yes, this is what I’ve been called to do.

If you had to pick, what would your top priority be as school superintendent? 

The No. 1 one goal is always safety and security. You can’t teach, you can’t retain good teachers if you don’t have a safe and secure learning environment. So that will always be No. 1, that’s fundamental. It just has to be a part of the recipe.

Photo by Madison Bierl

What’s the next priority? 

Student success. What are we doing operationally to support student success? Are we best utilizing all of our dollars to support student success? Are we defining student success in a way that is transferable to post-secondary, so they are coming out college-career ready, in a way that we can accurately measure and see the success? 

Who are some of your career mentors? 

Robin Thompson, who I worked with at Manatee High School is one of many mentors. We were able to do some writing and presentations together back when I was working on my doctoral degree, and she was just a really great influence. (Thompson, Breslin and Robert Gagnon co-wrote “Constructing an Online Professional Learning Network for School Unity and Student Achievement” in 2011.) And my parents, Randy and Pam. Pam was an educator, and worked at the district office as well in school improvement. And my dad was a contractor, he worked for Neal Communities. Both showed me the value of hard work, of honesty and really just what it means to be a good contributor to your community.