Kennedy Seeks Second Term on School Board

BRADENTON – School Board member Charlie Kennedy will seek a second term on the board in August's election. Kennedy said that he’s proud of the progress the district has made under the last two administrations and would like to be a part of helping continue its move in the right direction.

Kennedy was first elected to the district 2 seat in 2014 and left his position at Manatee High, where he was a Social Studies teacher, when he won the seat. Originally from Pennsylvania, he previously taught at IMG Academy, as well as a charter school in Washington, D.C.

During his first four years, Kennedy has been a congenial and moderating force on the board, often seeking to bridge differences of opinion between fellow members. As an educator, he's lobbied for teachers and was the earliest member to support asking voters for the extra mil on school property taxes in order to make their pay comparable with Sarasota County.

Kennedy says that whoever sits on the next board will have a big responsibility in selecting a new superintendent, following Dianna Greene’s recent hiring by Duval County, but is adamant that the next board spearhead that process.

"There will be some decisions this board obviously has to make,“ said Kennedy, "including naming an interim superintendent, but with three fifths of our members up for election, the board has the potential to change dramatically, and I just feel strongly that because it’s going to be that board that needs to work with whoever the district’s leader will ultimately be, they should set the direction in terms of what they are looking for in the search process.“

Kennedy said that he admired the process used by Duval, which included a private firm, augmented by a citizen committee to vet applicants in a national search.

"I think we definitely have to cast a wide net,“ said Kennedy of the search for a new superintendent, "but I also think there is a lot to be said for a candidate who is well versed in and has experience with Florida education law, which is just a treacherous terrain, one that seems to get more so with each passing legislative session. There might be superintendents who’ve worked in Florida and left for other states but are interested in coming back, so a national search would allow us to take a broad look at a lot of candidates."

Kennedy said that the recent passage of two citizen referendums providing extra funding will be a strong tool in attracting a good candidate.

"They’ll be looking at a district in which the citizens have made perhaps a stronger commitment to public education than any district in the state,“ said Kennedy, "so I think that works in our favor.“

Kennedy acknowledged that the board will have a big responsibility in ensuring that those investments continue in the manner in which they were sold.

"Ultimately, the buck stops with the board,“ said Kennedy, "so yes, even though that money is pretty tightly earmarked and most of it can only be used for very specific things, we’ll have a role in maintaining accountability and even perception. I’ve already heard rumors from teachers who’d heard that because the district was having trouble meeting the SRO mandate from the state, that they wouldn’t be getting some of their raises because we’d be taking the money from the extra mil. That’s not only something we wouldn’t look to do, it wouldn’t even be possible, so some of it is just making sure the communication gets through and public perception matches reality."

School board races are non-partisan and are held on the August primary ballot. While candidates represent a district, the races our contested countywide. If no candidate gets a simple majority of votes, the top two move on to a November runoff election. In the District 2 race, Kennedy faces only one opponent so far, Alice Kaddatz, though candidates have until June 22 to qualify for the ballot.