Three of the five candidates running for the Manatee County School Board’s District 2 seat took part in a forum hosted by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters on June 24.
Incumbent Cindy Spray, who chairs the board, faces challengers James T. Golden, Sharon Jefferson, Margi Nanney and JT White. Jefferson, Spray and White attended the forum; Golden did not appear, and Nanney submitted a written statement, citing a scheduling conflict.
In two other school board races on the August ballot, Camden T. Bedinghaus, Jonathan Mullis and Chantal Wilford are running in District 5 to succeed Richard Tatem, while Chad Choate III is unopposed in District 4.
The District 2 candidates will appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in a race, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff in the November general election. The deadline to register to vote is July 20.
The school board sets policy in line with state and federal education laws. It consists of five members elected to four-year terms.
Golden
Golden did not attend the forum. According to his website, he was elected to the Manatee County School Board in 2018 and served as chair in 2022.
A native Floridian, Golden has been active in the Manatee County community for 33 years. He has worked as a substitute teacher at all grade levels in county public schools and chaired the School Advisory Council at Louise R. Johnson Middle School.
He has served on several charitable and nonprofit boards, including Manatee Glens Mental Health Hospital, now Centerstone, as well as Meals on Wheels and Just for Girls. He also served as pastor of Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in Bradenton and Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Port Tampa.
Jefferson
Jefferson said she is running to build on her career as an educator in the county school system, to be more active in the community and to ensure every child has what they need to succeed.
“My experience has afforded me the opportunity to focus on the solutions to the problems,” she said.
Jefferson holds a master’s degree and has experience in both instruction and curriculum. She has worked as an instructional support specialist for students, teachers and parents, and she said she would push for instructional materials that are balanced, appropriate and free of vendor influence.
She said she has been, and will remain, an advocate for children’s best interests.
“I can’t be bought. I can’t be bribed,” she said.
The school district budget should be examined line by line to see how resources are allocated to schools, she said, asking, “How top heavy is the district?”
A priority, she said, is making sure children have what they need, and that their social and emotional needs are met. Her experience as a teacher, she said, has shown her that board members should ask teachers what they need.
One of the most pressing needs, Jefferson said, is stabilizing students after the COVID-19 pandemic, which set some behind their grade level and made it harder to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
She said she would rather see local nonprofits help students succeed than rely on the proposed Schools of Hope legislation.
Jefferson said she opposes modeling school security on the criminal justice system but that the safety of children and parents is what matters most. She said she is more concerned about threats inside schools and suggested the district do a better job of screening people who work on campuses.
Nanney
Nanney submitted a brief written statement instead of attending, citing a scheduling conflict.
Public education faces many challenges, she said. While praising the current administration, Nanney said becoming an “A” school district “requires stronger voices” and that her leadership experience in the private sector and in the district qualifies her to “navigate those waters.”
She said the district’s $1.7 billion budget should be “lean at the top and heavy in the classroom,” and that the community must have safe schools and open communication with administrators.
Nanney said she advocates for student well-being, basic life skills and exposure to “robust extracurricular activities” that can guide career choices.
“Some will be doctors, and some will fix cars and both are equally important,” she said.
Spray
Spray, who chairs the board and is seeking reelection, said her accounting background and corporate experience in manufacturing, payroll, purchasing, capital projects and team management qualify her for the seat.
“It all comes back to numbers,” she said.
She served on the district’s citizens financial oversight committee, which reviewed whether finances were allocated in line with policy, and she is helping with the current budget process for capital funding and operations.
The district’s biggest challenge, she said, is the effect of social media on children and the behavior it brings into the classroom, which adds stress for teachers.
Spray said she called for a meeting to review security in the county’s schools after the 2018 Parkland shooting.
“We have the best security in the whole state,” she said.
Spray said she has worked to advocate for students during her 3 1/2 years on the board.
“We are here to develop students to become productive citizens and be workers for our employers,” she said.
White
White said students are at a disadvantage because many are not proficient in essential skills, with some entering college able to read or do math at only a middle school level — which he called “a great injustice.”
White has a background in mass communications and has worked in radio and telecommunications. He has also worked in several local schools, including as a specialist in the emotional/behavioral disabilities unit at Palmetto Elementary, a computer technician at Rogers Garden Elementary — now Rogers Garden-Bullock — and Freedom Elementary, and a dean’s assistant at Palmetto High School. He has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Clubs since age 13.
White said he would avoid being swayed by special interests, calling teachers and administrators the only “special interests” he answers to.
He said outside entities should audit school board finances “to let the citizens know we’re doing the responsible thing with their dollars.”
The greatest challenge facing the district, he said, is that leadership is ignoring teachers, students and administrators.
“I listen attentively and make sure I am hearing people,” he said.
White said he does not support the proposed Schools of Hope legislation or earlier school start times, and he favors metal detectors to give parents a sense of security.