Race Analysis: Manatee County School Board District 1

The Manatee County School Board District 1 race is a nonpartisan runoff between Heather Felton and Mark Stanoch, the two candidates who received the most votes in August.  In that race, TBT made no endorsement, finding both Stanoch and Felton to be qualified candidates who bring different but unique skill sets to the election.

Felton, who received the most votes in August, brings considerable experience as a classroom teacher to the table, which is important given that the district's outgoing representative, Gina Messenger, was one of just two members of the five-person board who had been a teacher.

Classroom experience can allow for a greater understanding of the various issues facing students, teachers, and parents. The Manatee County School Board is also a massive organization. With over 6,000 employees, it is the largest employer in our county. Experience as one of those employees also provides vital insights that can serve a board member well.

That said, sometimes, the ability to pull back and see things from a distance gives one a different advantage. Over the years, several outstanding board members had no classroom experience. We believe that Stanoch has the potential to be among them.

A former high-level executive with Dell Computers, Stanoch has grandchildren in the district and says he would like to engage in public service to give back. We find him to be an honest broker in that regard. Furthermore, Stanoch’s experience managing Texas-based Dell’s relationship with Seattle-based Microsoft saw him successfully operate within two very different cultures, an experience that would serve him well in the increasingly partisan realm of education politics. His grasp of large-scale financial operations would also give him an edge on the fiscal side of the ledger, which, as this community has learned the hard way, is an important skill set.

Felton has 16 years of teaching experience in the district. She has experienced the gamut of matters on which the board legislates. She and her husband, a Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputy, have raised two children through the district, from kindergarten through graduation. Her passion for education and advocacy could not be more evident. She initially came into the public eye when she publicly resigned from her teaching position in protest of the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill approved by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. DeSantis. The moment went viral as a representation of how the law was hampering public education.

We believe that both Stanoch and Felton have the potential to be effective school board members and are pleased that D1 voters have two qualified candidates to choose from. We encourage them to listen to each candidate's interview on The Bradenton Times podcast to help decide which candidate would better represent them on the board.