Heather Felton Files to Run for School Board Dist. 1

BRADENTON — This week, former English teacher Heather Felton filed to run for the Manatee County School Board's District 1 seat.

Felton moved to Manatee County in 1997 when she began work on the police beat for the Bradenton Herald. Later, she transitioned to a career in education, teaching English in the district for nine years. Most recently she taught both remedial language arts and International Baccalaureate literature classes at Southeast High School, from which her two children graduated. Since leaving education in May, Felton has been volunteering and working as a private tutor.

"We have strong public schools in Manatee County, but we can do more," Felton said in a press release announcing her candidacy. "I’m running to ensure that our schools continue to be both safe and welcoming, where learning and growth are the focus. As a Manatee County resident for more than twenty years, an English teacher for nine years, an active volunteer, a private tutor, and as a parent of children who grew up in our school system, I have the skills and expertise to make a real difference on the Board. As a parent, former teacher, and the wife of a longtime law enforcement officer, I understand the importance of safety in our schools."

The District 1 seat is currently held by Gina Messenger. Messenger has not yet filed to run for reelection. Mark Stanoch has also filed to run for the seat. Stanoch's campaign website is still under construction and we have not yet received any announcements from his campaign. TBT reached out to Mr. Stanoch via email and will report on his candidacy in a future issue.

School board seats are non-partisan and conducted during the August primaries. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election between the top two candidates is contested on the November ballot.