Bridgewater dad says his connections make him a valuable candidate

If there's one thing Bridgewater's Jonathan Mullis understands, it is the frustration of being stuck in school drop-off and pick-up lanes.

It might seem like a minor thing, but Mullis knows he has that in common with many other parents in the School District of Manatee County.

Mullis, 49, is running for the District 5 seat on the School District of Manatee County school board. 

“As the son of two retired elementary school teachers, I saw firsthand how hard educators work every single day and how much they sacrifice for their students,” Mullis said. “Now, as the parent of two very busy daughters in our school system, I see that same dedication from students, parents and teachers throughout our community.”

Mullis and his wife Sonia Mullis are the owners of Physical Therapy Doctors of Florida in Bradenton. They moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2017. Including their other businesses, Mullis has been a small business owner for 17 years. 

Their daughter, Isabella, 18, just graduated from Manatee School for the Arts, a public charter school within the School District of Manatee County. Their younger daughter, Sophia, 14, will be entering her freshman year at the same school. 

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Mullis said because he is a parent of a current student, that gives him insight that the current school board lacks. 

“I understand what they (the parents) are going through,” Mullis said. “I understand the schools and I understand dealing with teachers and the principals."

Mullis said one of the reasons he would be a good school board member is because of his connections. He is involved in the Chamber of Commerce and he is a member of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. He is also is familiar with the current school board members and the county commissioners.

“I want to be able to help facilitate communication between all of these groups that should be working together,” Mullis said. “Sometimes the county and the school don't seem to communicate as well as they should.”

Mulllis said he is proud of his work with nonprofits as a volunteer. He has served on the Leadership Manatee Board of Governors and the Junior Leadership Manatee Board of Directors. Currently, he serves as the president of the Bradenton Kiwanis Club and sits on the board of directors for the Manatee Tiger Bay Club.

“The more issues and problems and situations you've dealt with, the more capable you are of handling whatever comes your way,” Mullis said. “It's great to have a plan and goals, but you really don't know what's going to happen.” 

He said the biggest misconception about being a school board member is that individual members have more power than they actually do. 

“We are one of, in the school board's case, five people who have to work together,” Mullis said. “You don't have to agree on everything, but you do have to work together, and you can't get everything that you want. It's not that simple.” 

Mullis said he is not looking to burn anything down, but instead wants to keep it moving in the right direction.

“I don't see any reason our school district shouldn't be one of the best in the state,” Mullis said. “We can get there.” 

He said he would like to get a large-scale volunteer program in place to “get more manpower” to help catch up students who are behind. He said the district has many great reading programs but oftentimes they happen before or after school or in the summertime. 

“It needs to be one on one and 20 to 30 minutes at least a few times a week in order to get them caught up to where they should be,” Mullis said. “That's going to take manpower and I don't think we can afford to be hiring dozens more teachers and we shouldn't need to. We have many community members who would love to be involved. We just need to figure out how to get them involved.” 

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Mullis has been a volunteer for existing programs in the schools including the Big Bank Program and Project Teach. 

If Mullis becomes a board member, he also wants to see more emphasis on career readiness after graduating from high school. He wants to make sure every student has a plan.

“I’m running because I truly love Manatee County and believe this community deserves leaders who will work hard, listen carefully and make thoughtful decisions that always put students first,” Mullis said. “I know how much effort it takes from everyone involved to help shape successful young adults and I want to do everything I can to support them and help our schools succeed.”