Gina Messenger holds on to Manatee School Board Seat

Gina Messenger will remain in the District 1 seat on the School District of Manatee County after beating challenger Bridget Mendel in Tuesday’s primary election.

With all precincts reporting, Messenger secured more than 41,000 votes, or 58.4 percent of the total vote. Mendel earned more than 29,180 votes, or 41.6 percent of the vote.

Messenger, who now chairs the school board, was first elected in 2016. She lives in Parrish with two daughters and her husband, Matt, who works as the supervisor for Manatee Schools Television, the district’s employee-run TV station.

“I thank them for their support and their trust in me,” Messenger said of local voters. “I look forward to another four years of academic excellence.”

Messenger holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Central Florida, and she previously taught in Marion and Orange counties. As a local mother, a former teacher and a millennial, Messenger said she brings needed perspectives to the board.

She has promised continued momentum and highlighted past accomplishments, pointing to healthy reserves in the district budget, improved grades at individual schools and the opening of three new campuses during her tenure on the board.

Local education was personal, said Messenger, who has a 5-year-old daughter enrolled in the local school system.

“My most immediate priority is to ensure that our schools are open safely for our employees and our students, and that we continue our academic excellence. I’d love to see improvement in maintaining our school grades and our state ranking. Those are metrics that show how great our teachers are doing,” Messenger said.

Mendel, a regular at school board meetings, promised truth, trust and transparency during her campaign. She has long questioned the equity afforded to local children, including students from low-income families and students with special needs.

She recently questioned the increased enrollment at Horizons Academy, an alternative school in Bradenton, calling it an extension of the school-to-prison pipeline. Mendel has also called for greater attention to students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties, along with the discontinuation of high-stakes testing and the over-reliance on education technology.

“I just think about all the kids who are going to lose,” Mendel said, fighting back tears on Tuesday evening. “It’s not about me. It’s about the kids. You’re just setting these kids up to fail for another four years.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 8:00 PM.