Manatee School Board fires Superintendent Jason Wysong over leadership concerns
The Manatee County School Board voted Tuesday to remove its superintendent, splitting over concerns about the school district leader’s communication and leadership skills.
The board voted 3-2 to terminate Superintendent Jason Wysong’s contract without cause. While his tenure ended without a stated violation or policy breach, board members pointed to a loss of confidence in his leadership, with some citing long-standing issues and internal frustration.
“This has absolutely nothing to do with politics or ideology,” School Board Member Charlie Kennedy said. “It just has to do, for me, with my feelings about job performance.”
Other Manatee County School Board officials urged their colleagues to slow down and suggested alternatives to firing Wysong, such as group leadership training.
Wysong joined the district in 2023, following former Superintendent Cynthia Saunders’ retirement. When he was selected, board members praised his teaching experience and his detailed plans to improve the district.
According to his resume, Wysong came to Manatee County with over 23 years of experience in Florida schools and previously served as a deputy superintendent in Seminole County.
“I feel bad for Seminole because we’re taking one of their stars,” School Board Member Cindy Spray said at the time.
In June, School Board members gave Wysong a positive job evaluation, citing the trust and respect he earned from leaders across the school district. But less than a year later, school board members said they no longer had faith that Wysong could do the job.
School board fires Superintendent Wysong
During Tuesday’s meeting, school board members pointed to a series of behind-the-scenes issues that they called grounds for termination.
Kennedy described a pattern of unanswered emails and said Wysong failed to respond to a campus safety concern. He also recalled a tense confrontation in which Wysong chastised him after a meeting in front of district staff.
Spray, who also supported the termination, said the district’s handling of a recent teacher misconduct case was not the cause of her decision, but she called it a “breaking point.”
In his remarks at Tuesday’s special meeting, School Board Chair Chad Choate emphasized that Wysong’s ousting wasn’t due to public reaction to the district’s handling of alleged teacher misconduct.
That case involves Jarrett Williams, a fifth-grade Gullett Elementary School teacher who resigned in April while under investigation for inappropriate contact with an 11-year-old student. The girl’s mother publicly accused Williams during the board’s April 29 meeting, prompting criticism of how the district managed the investigation.
“This is not a knee-jerk reaction,” Choate said. “It’s not from the April 29 meeting. It’s not from any one group emailing me telling me to do this. This, for me, is a culmination of things I had concerns with from the very beginning.”
Choate, Spray and Kennedy voted in favor of removing Wysong, while Heather Felton and Richard Tatem opposed the termination. Felton and Tatem raised concerns about the timing of the vote and said the board had not provided a compelling reason for removing a superintendent with no formal performance issues.
School board members defend Wysong’s performance
“I’ve been losing sleep over this,” Felton said. “How is this decision going to help the students in this district?”
She questioned why the board didn’t wait until Wysong’s annual performance evaluation in June and warned that the vote would erode public trust.
“We should have put this off until next month during his review,” she said. “We should hold this when people can come, when the graduations are over. This makes us look so bad. We look terrible to the public, and three of you are up for re-election. Our staff, all these people, they are going to lose serious faith in us.”
Tatem echoed those concerns and argued the superintendent had not been given a fair chance to address board frustrations.
“We don’t need a divorce right now. We need counseling,” Tatem said. “The divorce is going to be painful and expensive.”
Tatem also suggested leadership training or a mediation session with district staff as an alternative to termination.
Several speakers during Tuesday’s meeting defended Wysong and criticized the board’s handling of the superintendent’s termination.
Former School Board Member Mary Foreman said Wysong had received glowing evaluations after his first year and was being pushed out for following the law and district policy. She pointed to his response to the Gullett Elementary investigation and said he had followed proper procedures, even as some board members pressured him to act differently. Foreman also called the decision wasteful and said it sent the wrong message to staff and the public.
“The superintendent did his job,” said Foreman. “I wish I could say the same about this board.”
Other speakers raised concerns about the timing and transparency of the meeting, which was scheduled early on a weekday with limited public notice. Several said the decision would undermine trust in district leadership.
Fired superintendent speaks out
Wysong, who sat quietly for most of the meeting, addressed the board after the vote. He said he negotiated the separation agreement after learning that a majority of board members no longer wanted him in the role.
“I didn’t want to fight,” he said. “I wanted to make sure the exit was professional and respectful.”
He expressed pride in the district’s progress, praised the staff and referenced the district’s long-term growth plans, including five new schools set to open over the next six years. He also acknowledged the criticism and communication issues raised by board members.
“I regret that some of you are not happy, because I’m an educator at heart,” Wysong said. “I want to meet people’s expectations. And it’s unfortunate that we’re where we’re at. I certainly regret missing emails here or there. We communicate a lot, by text, by call. The days are long. Some of you prefer communication early in the mornings. Some prefer later at night. My glance through my calendar, I try to do as many evening events as I can. And Chairman, you may be right that ultimately, maybe I put too many hours in, not in this building, not in my email. That may be a fear of criticism.”
He added that he would have welcomed the development program that Tatem proposed.
“I would welcome the counseling opportunity, Mr. Tatem,” Wysong said. “I’m not sure, by what it sounds like, that’s where we are headed today. I’m not giving up on the students and parents here.”
As the meeting neared its end, Wysong became emotional as he addressed the students, families and staff he served.
“At the end of the day, I will leave with my integrity intact if that’s what you want. It’s been a privilege to serve.”
What happens next?
The board unanimously approved a separation agreement allowing Wysong to remain on staff for 90 days in a transitional consultant role. He will also receive 20 weeks of severance pay. His final day with the district is set for Aug. 18, unless he accepts another position before then.
The board also voted unanimously to appoint Kevin Chapman, the district’s chief of staff, as interim superintendent during the transition period.
