Schools and Education Carpenter and Aranibar Blast Manatee School District Budget

BRADENTON – The Manatee County School Board passed their upcoming budget by a 3-2 vote Monday night. Board Members Julie Aranibar and Karen Carpenter were the dissenting votes and offered strong responses to what they felt was an irresponsible plan that failed to prioritize teachers.

Both commissioners said that they could not vote for a budget in which teacher pay was not stipulated (negotiations between the district and the union are still ongoing).

”Teachers need to know what they're going to be paid,“ said Carpenter in a phone interview. ”We need to value our educators. What sort of message does this send if you're a teacher?“

Carpenter noted that she was opposed to Superintendent Tim McGonegal's disbanding of the Citizen Budget Committee and that Monday's meeting showed why such oversight is needed.

”We don't value citizen input,“ Carpenter said. ”We ask this community for its support, yet we don't want to involve them and listen to them.“

Carpenter criticized McGonegal's replacement strategy of having a series budget workshops as ineffective.

”The superintendent has not been able to communicate,“ said Carpenter. ”He doesn't seem to want to listen and quite frankly, I don't think he knows how.“

Aranibar was also disappointed in teacher pay and blamed McGonegal for not prioritizing their services.

”In a budget of over $500 million dollars, the Superintendent states there is nothing to cut and teacher pay will be determined by what is left over for them,“ she said in an email statement. ”I believe determining the needs of classrooms, teachers and schools to be the first budget priority, not last."

Aranibar predicted that it would send a negative message to educators.

”Would you sign a contract with a value of zero? Would that amount make you feel valued as a professional? (Yet) failing to sign that contract would put your future earning and benefits in jeopardy.“

Aranibar said that the Superintendent received a contract that clearly stipulated pay, and that teachers should expect the same. 

”Maybe the general public does not know what has happened to teachers this year, but our teachers have never had a year like this.“