BRADENTON, Fla. — A week from Friday, Manatee County Superintendent Cynthia Saunders will officially head into retirement.
Saunders has been superintendent for the last five years and reflects on her time with the district.
An educator for more than three decades, Saunders said she is glad to have led the district in the twilight of her career and is now ready to see the world.
"It's bittersweet getting to the end of your professional career," Saunders explained. "I feel very blessed that I have spent 34 years in education."
In her last days on the job, Saunders has had the opportunity to take stock and look back on the events and people who've shaped her career.
As is for many in her position, the pandemic ranks not only as the most challenging time, but Saunders said it was equally the most innovative.
"Working with the churches for the Wi-Fi, having the Wi-Fi buses, and just all the things we learned and still prospered from that tragedy," she said.
When Saunders took over in 2019, the school district was 47th in the state in academic ranking but is now 25th in the state out of 67 counties. It's an improvement the superintendent said involved restructuring the vision for the district and recruiting many skilled hands.
"Our math achievement exceeds the state in predominantly every category so we had very many wonderful milestones, and how we've expanded our dual language programs, our community partnership programs, and the partnerships that we've established," she said.
However, Saunders said that the district still needed more improvement in third-grade reading achievement and regretted that she wasn't able to fully close that gap.
"We are still lagging in that area more than what I would've liked to have seen," she said.
Last month, Manatee County School Board members selected Dr. Jason C. Wysong as the next district superintendent. He will take over the role starting on July 1.
Saunders had some parting advice for the new upcoming superintendent.
"Ensuring that they're embracing the community, knowing our school administration, knowing that they're out in visible and communicating with parents and community leaders," she said.
As for her retirement plans, Saunders said she plans of spending more time with her family including her aging mother and two grandchildren. She also plans to do a lot of traveling with her husband.
"Oh, Alaska is first on our bucket list. I will be going there in the summer and we're RV advocates so I will be hitting all the national parks," she explained.
Saunders' last day as superintendent is Friday, June 30.
"The future for Cynthia Saunders is very bright, and I am looking forward to the next chapter," she said.