BRADENTON, Fla. — Manatee County School Board members selected Dr. Jason C. Wysong as its next district superintendent.
The board voted 4-1 in support and extended the offer to Wysong, who accepted. They will now go into contract negotiations with the school district's legal team.
Wysong is set to replace outgoing Superintendent Cynthia Saunders, who announced her retirement in October 2022 after 34 years in public education. The district said she served as the Manatee Schools superintendent for the past five years.
"The leadership qualities, the education acumen, the finance, the Florida education acumen," Board Chair Chad Choate said. "Those were a lot of the things we were looking for, and I think we have them in all three candidates, which is why we took several hours to debate on what the right process was, and who the right candidate was."
"His 100-day plan that he presented in the interview was incredibly detailed and well thought out and I wish everybody can see it because he had it down to who he was meeting with and it was all doable," board member Mary Foreman said.
"I am honored by today’s vote and excited to join the Manatee County community,” Wysong said in a statement.
“Thank you to the School Board members for their thoughtful deliberation and support. I enjoyed meeting so many employees, parents, and community members during my visit last week. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that students in Manatee County are academically successful and ready for their futures!”
The school district detailed the superintendent finalists, all of whom participated in televised interviews last Wednesday:
- Scott J. Schneider – Mr. Schnieder has served as Chief of Schools in Duval County from 2021 to the present. Prior to that, he served as the Region Superintendent of High and Alternative Schools and as a high school principal in Duval County.
- Dr. Jason C. Wysong – Dr. Wysong has served as Deputy Superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools from 2021 to the present. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of Instructional Excellence & System Equity and Executive Director of Education Pathways & Strategic Partnerships in Seminole County.
- Doug Wagner – Mr. Wagner has served as Deputy Superintendent of Operations for the School District of Manatee County from 2018 to the present. Before that, he served as Executive Director of Adult, Career, and Technical Education and Manatee Technical College in Manatee County.
Before the school board decided to offer Dr. Jason Wysong the superintendent position, they had a very robust conversation about the candidates.
A motion to suspend the process was tabled and then withdrawn. In trying to narrow down to one choice, the board members deliberated over selecting someone who would be new to the system and bring in new and different ideas or take the approach of continuity with someone who had long-established district experience and relationships. The consensus was they could have both by selecting Wysong and retaining Wagner in his position and bolstering the district's leadership by recruiting a solid candidate for Deputy Superintendent of Instructions.
"Sometimes it's just doing something a little bit different. Maybe you have a different program and maybe you have a different way of doing things, a different style. That new fresh idea would be good for the district," Choate said.