Charles “Charlie” A. Kennedy
Candidate: School Board of Manatee County – District 3
Q. What is your top priority for the district as a candidate for School Board and what strategies do you suggest to address it?
My first priority is to keep the school board and school district on its positive trajectory. In the last 12 years, the district has made dramatic improvements to its financial condition and academic successes. We have been a B school district since 2017 and continue to have very few D schools across the district. Since I was a board member from 2014-2022 previously and was part of the team that led to that success, I would like to provide my experience and expertise to again serve the Board and the entire school district.
Q. What is the biggest opportunity that, if embraced by the district, would lead to an improvement in student achievement?
This is a controversial idea that I brought up during my first term on the school board. We need to move the start of the high school day back to 8:15am or later. A large party of research shows all the benefits that adolescents and teens get from syncing their school day to their changing circadian rhythms. It’s all brain science but it’s well documented. It would a herculean task to pull off logistically, but plenty of other districts have done it successfully. It would be a great benefit to our students.
Q. How can we ensure our Pre-K through 12th grade district programs and curriculum meet the needs of our business community in preparing students to successfully enter the workforce and/or pursue post-secondary educational opportunities?
In addition to the state standards we are required to teach, a robust business education program, in addition to expanded on-the-job training, would be an effective way to reach secondary students. For high school and post-secondary students, our world class Manatee Technical College continues to be an incredible value and career building opportunity for Manatee students of all ages.
Q. What role should local businesses play in supporting our schools to ensure students success and that they are graduating with the skills necessary for successful employment?
Businesses are already such a vital partner in our schools, on their community level, and district wide in some cases. The Manatee Chamber provides multiple opportunities for volunteerism by businesses and their employees. On the school level, each individual school has multiple business partners who provide support for students and, at times, the teachers and staff. I am currently a teacher at Daughtrey elementary. Our business and non-profit partners are a vital part of our school community and school day.