MAIN PICTURE: Wendy Dewhurst
I became a member of the Manatee County community on July 3rd, my first day of work as superintendent of schools. It has been a wonderful three months. The warm welcome I received has made the professional and personal transition much easier, and I believe it’s also one reason Manatee County is growing so much—this is a wonderful place for families to live, learn, and work!
During the first weeks of this school year, I focused on listening to, and learning from, numerous individuals and community organizations. Each time I visit one of our schools to watch instruction or attend an event, I am energized by the curiosity of our students and the dedication of our employees.
I want to ensure that our district remains academically and financially stable. In the short term, this means limiting new initiatives, confirming that priorities of prior years are still adding value for students, and ensuring the district’s current innovative programs have the resources needed for long-term sustainability.
One low-cost, high-impact action I will take is allocating more time to talk with students about how we can better support their learning. At our district’s leadership conference in July, one student from each of our high schools participated in a panel discussion. These students represented a wide variety of interests and talents, and each shared their experience. Our leaders learned about programs and initiatives that are treasured by students, and we also heard about some opportunities for improvement.
I am looking forward to convening more groups of students to discuss topics like agency (how much ‘ownership’ do students feel they have over their own learning?), leadership, and college and career planning. We also need to deepen our engagement with students for their feedback on operational topics like safety, school rules, and technology.
From an instructional perspective, my highest priority is a system-wide focus on literacy. Every educator in the School District of Manatee County should be a teacher and advocate of literacy. We must engage students in literacy processes—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—every day. There is no greater supporter of this cause than the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County; in partnership with many other organizations, there is a collective community commitment to literacy.
I look forward to the work ahead—strengthening learning and expanding pathways so that the students, families, and communities across Manatee County can thrive through educational opportunity!
