Meet this year’s Manatee County principal and assistant principal of the year

The School District of Manatee County has announced its principal and assistant principal of the year.

Kaththea Johnson, the head of Palm View K-8 in Palmetto, is the district’s principal of the year, according to a news release Monday afternoon. Johnson also worked as an assistant principal at Palma Sola Elementary and Daughtrey Elementary during her 15 years in the district.

Sheila Waid, a leader at Williams Elementary School in Parrish, is the district’s assistant principal of the year. Waid joined the school district in 2003, working as a student support specialist at McNeal Elementary and a third-grade teacher at Tara Elementary before assuming her current role.

Both leaders are now eligible for a state-level award through the Florida Department of Education.

The state issues annual awards called the Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership and the Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award, established in 1988 and 1997, respectively.

The commissioner of education will announce Florida’s principal and assistant principal of the year in early 2021.

“The program honors leaders who have spearheaded initiatives to increase student performance, promote safe learning environments and establish partnerships with parents and community members,” the district said in its release.