New superintendent shares vision for Manatee schools. It involves rebuilding trust
Now at the helm of Manatee County schools, Laurie Breslin is ready for a new chapter.
Breslin’s vision is to boost student literacy, enhance career readiness and find ways to incorporate new technology. She wants to bolster support for teachers, parents and students while working to build trust and engage with the community.
As the superintendent of the School District of Manatee County, Breslin will oversee the district’s 67 schools that serve 55,000 students and about 6,000 employees, making the district the largest employer in the county. Under the direction of the School Board of Manatee County, she handles policy implementation and strategic planning.
“I want to make sure that our staff know that they work for a district that cares about them and is going to support them,” Breslin said. “And I want families to feel that when they are sending their child to school, that child is safe and secure.”
Breslin, 48, started as the superintendent on Sept. 10 after the School Board of Manatee County chose her to fill the vacancy left after the board fired then-Superintendent Jason Wysong in May.
A graduate of Manatee High School and veteran educator, Breslin returned to her alma mater early in her professional career and rose through the ranks. In her new role as superintendent of the School District of Manatee County, she is ready to leave her mark on the community.
“As a parent, I see the impact that teachers have had on my children and changed their lives for the better, and so I feel really privileged to be in this position where I’m able to support students and support staff,” Breslin said.
Career dedicated to education
Breslin’s professional career began in communications, but left her feeling unfulfilled.
That’s when she turned to her mother and brother — both educators — and her mother set her up to shadow teachers. Breslin said she has a feeling her mother always knew Breslin was destined to be an educator.
“I went and saw how a day in the life of a teacher was, and I just fell in love with it,” Breslin said. “That drew me to commit my career to do what I can to support students.”
After embarking on her teaching career, Breslin had the drive to continue developing herself professionally. Breslin received her bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations from the University of South Florida, a master’s degree from the University of Florida and later her doctorate of education from Argosy University.
Her early teaching career brought her back to Manatee High as an English teacher, later becoming an assistant principal at Manatee High and Palmetto High.
After a brief stint as a principal in Sarasota County, Breslin returned to Manatee County and served in several executive positions. Most recently, Breslin directed the Student Support & Family Engagement program, overseeing multiple departments and managing an annual budget of about $40 million.
Reflecting on her time as a principal, Breslin prioritized her connection with teachers, and she hopes to continue those connections on a larger scale as superintendent.
“If you take care of your teachers, they’ll take care of your students, and it’s a recipe for success,” Breslin said. “I believe, in a bigger scope here, if I can take care of the schools, they will absolutely take care of our students and then our students will show success.”
Adapting to the changing education landscape
Above all, Breslin’s vision for the district is to foster an environment where students can become active members of their community, whether it’s in Manatee County or somewhere else.
“What I want for the district is what I want for our community, and that’s to just really support all of our teachers and our students,” Breslin said. “So when a student graduates from the School District of Manatee County, they are prepared to contribute to this community…or anywhere they go to be successful.”
Part of that goal has to do with early career exploration. Breslin said she hopes to expand the district’s offerings with Career and Technical Education and Manatee Technical College to get students introduced to career pathways early.
“For some of our students, we need to get in a little earlier and get them hooked on a career opportunity so they stay engaged in their schooling,” Breslin said.
When Breslin attended Manatee High, she recalled how laptops were sparse and trips to a computer lab were infrequent. With technology ever-evolving, Breslin understands that artificial intelligence is becoming a staple in many industries, and education is not exempt.
“We absolutely recognize that AI is here and it’s not going anywhere,” Breslin said. “There is a place for AI in education, and I think it would be irresponsible to say that there’s not.”
The school district has incorporated AI policies in the student code of conduct, and Breslin said the district will look into ways that AI can be used as a positive tool to support teachers with tasks like lesson planning, and in ways where students can use the technology responsibly.
When asked about what she sees as the top challenges facing the district today, Breslin said she wants to increase literacy throughout the district, specifically with younger age groups.
“When we talk about being college-career ready, that doesn’t happen if we don’t have the foundational skills of literacy,” Breslin said.
According to Breslin, 54% of third graders were proficient in reading last year.
Breslin says the district wants that number to be over 60% every year. She thinks that can be achieved through a stronger emphasis on district voluntary pre-kindergarten, and she said data shows that students who participate in VPK score higher on the third-grade assessment.
Another challenge Breslin is ready to tackle is the state’s teacher shortage. Addressing vacancies starts with maintaining competitive salaries, according to Breslin.
Last year, county voters approved the renewal of a 1-mill tax that was expected to generate over $75 million for the school district during the school year. That money goes toward boosting teacher pay, school safety and more.
“The referendum has been a huge help in that,” she said. “We could not do this without the community overwhelmingly supporting us so that we can pay our teachers what we need to pay them to get them to return to our classrooms.”
Breslin added that retention is about more than a salary, which is why she wants to also focus on providing teachers proper resources and bolstering the Student Services department. By putting more into Student Services, Breslin said it helps to manage student environments more so teachers are willing to return.
Rebuilding community trust
Aside from literacy scores and teacher retention, Breslin put student safety as the school district’s top priority.
“We have done so much to fortify our schools and to prepare our schools to be as safe and secure as possible, but that will always be on the forefront of our mind,” Breslin said.
Recent incidents have raised questions about how the school district handles teacher misconduct. Earlier this year, a case at Gullet Elementary School led to public criticism when the mother of an 11-year-old student spoke out at a school board meeting.
The incident was the tipping point for the school board’s decision to fire former superintendent Jason Wysong in May.
While these incidents happened before Breslin’s tenure as superintendent, she hopes to build trust and transparency with the community.
“It’s really important to me to rebuild any trust that has been lost,” Breslin said. “We’ve already started retraining all school leaders, and we’ll also work on teachers.”
Breslin is referring to a new districtwide retraining of school leaders in partnership with local law enforcement agencies to identify warning signs and create a more definitive line of communication. It’s not just about identifying warning signs, but also acknowledging who to report those signs to.
“If we are preventative in what we’re offering as far as educating staff and our students, if we are less reactive…I think then our families will see that and then they know that we have the best interest of their children in our minds,” Breslin said.
The district is also undergoing an external audit of its human resources system. Breslin was one of the district leaders who supported the audit under the direction of interim Superintendent Kevin Chapman.
The audit should be complete by the end of the year, and Breslin said it will give the district a better understanding of what methods may be outdated and where onboarding processes could improve.
Along with that, Breslin is taking a look at the district’s training, making sure there’s continued training for the district’s veteran teachers. She also wants to make sure departments are openly collaborating with each other, including some overlap in training.
“It’s really ensuring that our departments don’t work in silos,” Breslin said. “In a large organization, it’s easy to become siloed. When you become siloed, you create cracks. And when you create cracks, when something occurs, it just falls right into that crack. And we can’t let that happen.”
With any large organization, Breslin said there will be problems. But it’s about how those organizations respond to problems that makes the difference, and Breslin wants the district to respond quickly and transparently.
“You have to be available for conversation,” Breslin added. “You have to give accurate, clear information.”
As someone who is a veteran of the School District of Manatee County, Breslin has an understanding of the district’s challenges, and stands ready to approach them with a new vision of transparency and engaging with the community.
“We believe that our district of schools are the best choice for all children here in Manatee County, and we look forward to showcasing the wonderful things our students are already accomplishing, what our students are learning and the path that our schools provide,” Breslin said. “If you choose the School District of Manatee County, there’s a great path ahead for you.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
