Mary Foreman

Q. What is your top priority for the district as a candidate for School Board?  What is your plan for achieving this priority?
A. Presently, the top priority is protecting the health and safety of district employees and students while providing a quality education during this time of COVID-19. We have no idea how long this will last nor how disruptive it will be. The District has taken some steps to accomplish this objective, but much more needs to be done.

1. Implement a rapid testing program for school employees.
2. Require temperature checks when entering school buildings.
3. Provide sufficient PPE and cleaning supplies.
4. Increase education requirements for substitute teachers.
5. Employ district staff dedicated to assist with eLearning.
6. Offer training to instructional personnel for eLearning methods.
7. Develop partnerships with community organizations and businesses to address students’ needs.

In addition to the Board’s response to the pandemic, a priority that is equally important is student achievement as discussed in question 2.

Q. What is the biggest opportunity that, if embraced by the district, would lead to an improvement in student achievement?
A. Currently, only 53% of the District’s students read at or above grade level. Yet, the School Board touts being 1 percentage away from the points necessary to be an A district. In order to achieve an A score, only 62% needs to be achieved. This is hardly an accomplishment.

The convoluted scoring system implemented by the State assigns points based on factors such as graduation rates, industry certifications and learning gains. Instead of concentrating on these measurements, our District should focus on educating students. If students achieve, the District grade will follow.

Q. Describe your experience working with large, complicated budgets.   How will you determine how to fund priorities?
A. As a CPA serving on the Manatee County School Board’s Audit Committee since its inception 7 years ago, I have volunteered countless hours devoted to the district’s finances. As a result, I have a strong familiarity of the budget itself as well as the budgeting process. My deep dive into the details of the district’s budget makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the board.

The School Board is tasked to adopt a Strategic Plan that identifies its priorities and goals and steps to achieve them. This document is the blueprint for identifying priorities. The budget, in turn, must be aligned with those priorities. In 2015, the Board adopted a 5-year Strategic Plan that was abandoned shortly after. So, for the past five years, the budget has been adopted without defining priorities.

The board is in the process of adopting a 2-year Strategic Plan which will be the road map for future funding priorities. During my tenure on the board, I will analyze the budget in accordance with the goals and, in future planning will prioritize student instruction over administrative bloat.

Q. How can we ensure our Pre-K through 12 school district programs and curriculum meet the needs of our business community in preparing students to successfully enter the workforce?
A. First, we need to do a better job in student achievement. Employees that do not have a firm grasp of the fundamentals will be at a disadvantage in the workforce. We also need to do a better job directing ESE (special needs) students in post-graduation plans.

Each school – elementary, middle school, and high school — need curricula that include specialized computer skills, such as coding. This provides an understanding of problem solving as well as technology. Additionally, the high schools should make better use of Manatee Technical College allowing students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a trade certification.

In Manatee County, each high school has a College and Career Center. These centers provide a crucial service in assisting students with identifying their skill sets and interests. Then, it can help them identify their options upon graduation.

Q. What role should local businesses play in supporting our schools to ensure students are graduating with the skills necessary for successful employment?
A. Businesses should communicate with the school district about the gaps in the local workforce and their evaluation of the quality of Manatee’s graduates. Their input is essential so that programs and classes that will fill those needs can be developed. Additionally, business volunteers could participate in mock interviews to improve students’ soft skills and discussions about career choices.