My name is Mark Stanoch.  I am running for Manatee County School Board District 1 because I believe that the future of our Community, County and Country is too important to ignore.  Our mission is simple: propel the Manatee County School District to be A-rated.

I believe that our schools have been failing too many students by not providing them with basic life skills and those necessary for life-long learning.  Whether a student chooses a path that leads to a trade, vocation, higher education or military service, we owe them the best opportunity to excel.  We must provide our teachers with the resources and environment that allow them to do their job effectively.  And I believe that parents and taxpayers have for too long been denied the benefits of an A-rated school system. 

To address these issues, we need to have our school system focus on the fundamentals of academic excellence: reading, math, science, social studies and the arts.   We need to innovate; people need to be accountable and transparent at all levels of our school system.  I believe there three areas upon which to focus our efforts to achieve educational excellence and student success:

• Focus On The Fundamentals – Focus on Academic Excellence. Nearly 50% of the students in the district cannot read or do math at grade level. Our district has been stuck in a “B” rating since 2016 with little improvement shown in English Language Arts (ELA).  This is unacceptable.  We WILL do better…together! 

• Reform Curriculum Policy – what our kids are being taught should be determined by parents and teachers and not solely by the Florida Department of Education. We should exercise local control over as much of the curriculum as possible, consistent with the objective of improved student outcomes and the Laws of the State.  We WILL do better…together!

• Enhance Financial Insights – We need to do more than just provide financial oversight. We need to find innovative ways to ensure that each budget item – which is dictated by law – is being used efficiently and provides a maximum return on academic investment, as measured by our student success.  Spend smarter.  We WILL do better…together!

I have spent a career transforming businesses and government agencies into successful enterprises.  I have seen that it is only when an organization’s People, Process and Technology are in alignment that success can be achieved.  I am anxious to devote my skills and experience to the benefit of ALL of our children, parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, administrators, staff and taxpayers of Manatee County.   We WILL do better…together!