- January 8, 2026
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While School District of Manatee County Superintendent Laurie Breslin rates increasing graduation rates, improving attendance and raising literacy scores as her main focus for 2026, she has inherited some other issues that are likely to take up a lot of her time in the new year.
Breslin is entering her first full calendar year as superintendent and she takes over a district that is reeling from two instances of alleged inappropriate behavior by teachers in 2025.
Parents have expressed concern in the wake of the two district employees who were eventually arrested.
Carlos E. Haile Middle teacher Oliver Fell allegedly sent explicit messages to a student, and was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office on June 2 and charged with lewd contact with a student by an authority figure and transmission of harmful material to a minor. Fell was fired by the district.
B.D. Gullett Elementary teacher Jarrett Williams, who worked as a fifth grade teacher at B.D. Gullett Elementary, was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office in December for aggravated stalking of a child under 16 years of age. Williams had resigned in April.
Breslin said the district is communicating with students on how to find a safe person on campus that they can go to to report anything inappropriate as well as strengthening their human resource protocols.
“I commend everyone who has come forward and reported anything,” Breslin said. “Safety and security is always No, 1."
Breslin said background checks have always been performed, but the new part will be adding in extra focus and care in terms of contacting references and getting all necessary information back before an employee steps on campus.
“For example, if you left XYZ school at the end of the school year, why did that person leave the school?” Breslin said. “Was it over staffing? Was it voluntary, by choice? It’s about making sure that our record keeping is tight.”
“We go beyond the background checks and do the extra leg work as well to fully vet any employee before they come on to our campuses. We work closely with our local law enforcement agencies. They are the experts and they have supported us and strengthened our knowledge in this area. We will not tolerate anyone that has any ill intentions of our students. It absolutely will not be tolerated, and we will work with local law enforcement to hold everyone accountable for any action.”
Breslin also will be dealing with mold concerns at Lakewood Ranch High. She said the district examines all its facilities every year to determine which are in greatest need for improvements. That list currently includes Lakewood Ranch High, which experienced water line breakage this past summer that caused concern from the community in terms of air and health due to the presence of mold.
“Parent concerns are always addressed first and foremost, individually,” Breslin said. “If a parent has a concern for their child, we take that to heart, and between the principal, our executive director of secondary schools, and our facilities crew, we've worked to address those parent concerns.”
In a message sent out to Lakewood Ranch High families on Dec. 18, results from mold testing by Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. within Building Eight were included.
“The good news is that no severe fungal spore types, such as Stachybotrys or Memnoniella, were found in any of the samples collected,” the statement said. “The inspection was very thorough, including more than 120 air samples, a full evaluation of all buildings, and a temperature and humidity study. Overall, the air quality inside the building was better than outside. The only particles detected were common in Florida, like Cladosporium and Curvularia, and they appeared only in isolated areas.”
The statement went on to say that professional cleaning was going to be completed over winter break and air filters would be replaced throughout the school. It will cost approximately $1.2 million. The water line replacement, which is planned to break ground in the spring, will cost approximately $6 million.
“The entire campus will be looking at some significant renovation to continue to offer the best classroom spaces for our students and our staff,” Breslin said.
In terms of her education priorities, Breslin said being a home-grown Manatee County educator will help accelerate the district toward her goals.
Breslin said her experience in the district has enabled her to hit the ground running.
"That sets me apart from some of the more recent leadership," said Breslin, who became the superintendent in September. "I am a product of Manatee County Schools, a parent of Manatee County Schools, a teacher from Manatee County Schools. I fully understand the power of our community support system.”
Breslin said that even though the district improved its graduation rate to 88% in the last school year, the goal is to be over 90%.
Another priority for the district will be the continued construction of the new High School AAA in Lakewood Ranch so it can be opened to ninth and 10th grades in 2027. Breslin said she wants the facilities to be ready and operational, even if the entire building won't be completed. The auditorium, cafeteria, main office, media center and classroom spaces are expected to be ready for the 2027 opening.
“There's so much we want to do, but the best thing we can do as a school district is to listen to our community, seek feedback and use this (feedback) to plan for the future of the School District of Manatee County,” Breslin said.
