Manatee School Board to discuss superintendent contract

 The Manatee County School Board will meet Monday evening to agree on the details of new superintendent Rick Mills’ contract.
School board chair Karen Carpenter said the contract will be “tightened up” in comparison to former superintendent Tim Mcgonegal’s contract.
“It incorporates concerns that were expressed at the public meeting last Wednesday,” Carpenter said.
Concerns included the county’s financial situation and the underachievement of third graders, especially those who come from families living at or below the poverty level.
Topics in the contract include salary, compensation and other benefits and conditions.
Rick Mills expressed the importance of building rapport with senior staff and coming to an agreement on embracing and utilizing data to meet district goals.
“My goal is to create a shared vision of accomplishments for students and student learning,” Mills said.
The contract is available for viewing online on manateeschools.net under the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
The meeting will be held at 5:45 p.m. at School Board of Manatee County, 215 Manatee Ave. W.

Education Briefs: Choir Concerts, Going Green, and More

SCF Choirs prepare for “Seriously Funny” concert
BRADENTON Classical music, with a humorous twist. This is the theme of the State College of Florida’s next “Seriously Funny” choral concert.
The chamber and concert choirs will make a variety of musical styles fresh and clever, from the Baroque to the contemporary periods. They will be accompanied by the SCF Guitar Ensemble, the percussion ensemble and piano duo, soloists and pianist Lurray Myers.
The concert will be held at 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, in the Neel Performing Arts Center at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. West.
General admission is $8. Tickets are $4 for students and SCF staff. For more information, call the Neel Performing Arts Box Office at 941-752-5252 or the music department at 941-752-5351.

USF hires Brian Mudd as the new director of technology services
SARASOTA The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee has named Brian Mudd the new Director of Technology Services.
Mudd will oversee all technology and internet services, including the information commons and internet café.
He joins USF with over 20 years experience in the IT profession, replacing *** Dale Drees served as the interim.
“I look forward to meeting – and exceeding – the needs of USF Sarasota-Manatee faculty and students,” Mudd said.

SCF Venice Green Team to Host Guest Lecture “Local Food and Beyond”
VENICE The State College of Florida is ready to share information about organic products with the community. The SCF Venice Green team invited Dr. Robert Kluson to host a guest lecture this afternoon called “Local Food and Beyond.”
The SCF Green Team, chaired by associate professor of art and humanities Woody McCree, is a group of faculty, staff and students who work to implement projects that maintain the grounds of SCF Venice.
Kluson, agricultural and natural resources extension agent of Sarasota County, will discuss ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the food supply, such as organic gardening, purchasing produce from a local farmers’ market and using other creative strategies.
The lecture is today at 12:30 p.m. at SCF Venice, 8000 S. Tamiami Trail, building 800, in the Selby Room.
For more information, contact Beverly Brown, SCF Venice provost office, at 941-408-1404.

Good Vibrations: Ariel Quartet hosts class at MSA

The Ariel Quartet taught Students at the Manatee School of the Arts how to play vibrato and properly hold their bows Friday as part of The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast’s “Education Outreach Program.”
Manatee School of the Arts was the quartet’s first stop in their series of sessions in Manatee and Sarasota county schools.
The world-class Ariel Quartet is comprised of young musicians Alexandra (Sasha) Kazovsky of Russia, Amit Even-Tov of Israel, Jan Grüning of Germany, and Gershon Gerchikov of Israel.
The quartet gets its title from a nickname for Jerusalem, where they attended an academy for music and dance.
Their class with the students included critiquing their work, a small concert, and a question and answer session.
Music students at the Manatee School for the arts have dreams of playing professionally.
Bassist Miles Demint, Celloist Maya Adair, violinist Seth Hall, violinist Patricia Meelian, and viola player Jada Smith had the opportunity to play for the Ariel Quartet in fromt of their peers.
Demint said he aspires to be a professional double bassist or a music teacher, and Adair said she would like to play in a symphony, perhaps even the New York Philharmonic.
The Ariel Quartet taught students how to relax and be confident when performing in front of an audience.
“When you walk on stage, there should be something magical happening,” Even-Tov said. She took the hands of one nervous student and had her jump up and down.
“Go crazy!” she said. “Scream ‘I don’t care!’ Don’t worry about mistakes.”
The quartet also encouraged the students, who inquired about playing modern music and pop on string, to appreciate classical music.
“Classical string quartet is still a popular medium,” Even-Tov said.
During their concert, the quartet explained the mood, characteristics, keys, and rhythm of each piece.
The Ariel Quartet will continue giving concerts and classes with the Perlman Music Program through next week.
Their schedule is as follows:
-A concert at the Venice Church of the Nazarene 10:30 a.m. Feb. 25
-Orchestra classes at Venice High School 12:35 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 26
-A concert at the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee 7 p.m. Feb. 26
-An advanced music class at Sarasota High School 12:30 p.m. and a master class at 1:25 p.m. Feb. 27
-String and performance classes at the Out of Door Academy in Sarasota 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and a concert with a question and answer session at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 28
For more information on upcoming classes, visit www.PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org

Mills selected to be next Superintendent of Manatee County Schools

Rick Mills has been chosen to be the next superintendent in a 3-2 vote by the Manatee County School Board.
Board members Aranibar and Gause, and school board chair Carpenter voted in favor of Mills.
Board members Miner and Harvey voted in favor of Greene.
The designation of Mills as superintendent  is contingent on his acceptance of the contract.
Aranibar said that as superintendent, Mills will have to "rebuild the house" when it comes to problems of the budget. Stay connected with Bradenton.com for more.

Reading Ladies entertain and engage students at Abel Elementary

MANATEE
 The Reading Ladies, a team of seniors made up of eight women and three men, volunteer their time to perfect reading fluency in children from third grade through high school. For the past few weeks, Abel Elementary third graders have been the group’s focus.
The Reading Ladies include former principals, musicians, social workers, and business people who specialize in language development, mental health, and music theory. They spend eight full weeks in both the fall and spring working in a particular school.
For the past 20 years, this band of retired professionals has been using story writing, music, and hands-on activities such as mazes as educational tools in Sarasota County. Abel Elementary is the first Manatee County school the Reading Ladies have worked with.
Group leader Evelyn Lerman stressed that joining the group is about having not only the credentials, but also trustworthiness and a love for students.
“Here comes our joy,” said member Suki Sellinger as the children paraded into the gifted classroom.
Lerman said they use a right brain approach to improve both reading skills and confidence in students who are either behind in school or simply do not want to attend.
“The left brain is the seat for reading and is more careful and orderly, but it can be tapped into through the right brain, which captures music and artistry,” Lerman said.
Yesterday’s lesson was on overcoming obstacles and examining good choices that the students had recently made.
For a more intimate learning environment, the group works with three third graders from each of Abel Elementary’s four third grade classes at a time.
Abel Elementary chose third grade because these students have a solid foundation, yet they are not reading as quickly or easily as they could be.
“If I could just help one student, I would be happy,’ said Reading Ladies volunteer Stanley Reganbogen, who said he is there to make education lighter and more fun for the kids.
As the students drew with pastels and created stories of monsters, poisonous fruits, adventure, and friendship, it was hard to see who was having the most fun between the children and the volunteers.
“It is important for us to interact with the students,” Lerman said. “They bring a piece into our lives that we don’t get often, which is youth and vigor.”
In turn, Sellinger said that the program makes kids interact with people who are different than they are. The program also provides a safe environment where the children can be heard.
“I like drawing and writing stories. It educates us, and I can be in touch with my feelings,” said eight-year-old Felisha Cunningham.
Sellinger said that they tell the students that this is a class where there are no mistakes.
“They are shy when they start, but the children gain confidence and are happy to talk to us,” said volunteer Michael Shlifer. “I believe very strongly that this program helps students become stronger.”
The members of the Reading Ladies are:
Lois Goodman
Hugh Helfenstein
Evelyn Lerman
Joan Rubinstein
Suki Sellinger
Michael Shlifer
Stanley Raganbogen
JoAnn Spiegel
Bobbie Steiner
Dona Stulmaker
Judy Whitman

Superintendent Candidate Diana Greene endorsed by Manatee/Sarasota Democratic Black Caucus

Although the appointing of the next Manatee County School District superintendent is only in the hands of the Manatee County School Board, community members and advisory committees have been participating in the interview process and will be stating their opinions publicly next Wednesday before the school board casts their votes.
The Manatee/Sarasota Democratic Black Caucus has endorsed candidate Diana Greene. The caucus released this statement earlier yesterday:
“If we are to hire someone who has already proven an aptitude for fiscal responsibility and brings documented curriculum and instructional success to the table, Greene is our best all-around candidate.”
Susie Copeland, the vice president of the Manatee/Sarasota Democratic Black Caucus and the president of the Manatee County NAACP said that she thought Greene’s interview with the school board on Monday was exceptionally thorough.
“From my perspective, she has great rapport with the board members,” Copeland said.
She also said that it spoke to her that Marion County, where Greene serves as deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction, has a higher percentage of poverty than Manatee County yet has fared better.
Candidate Pamela Stewart also caught Copeland’s eye. Stewart has experience with the Florida Department of Education and, despite her own credentials, wrote a letter of recommendation for Greene.
School board member Barbara Harvey says she has received several endorsements for Greene from Manatee County residents, including members from a variety of churches and members of the NAACP as well as phone calls from a wide demographic variety.
Harvey said that this is the first that she has gotten this kind of response about a candidate, and she attributes that to the interviews being televised.
She has not received phone calls regarding other candidates so far, but she said that does not mean they are not endorsed.
Harvey feels prepared for the vote on the 20th.
“It will be interesting; I can assure you,” she said.

John Colon appointed to State Board of Education

Governor Rick Scott appointed Sarasota native John Colon to the State Board of Education today.
Colon is a senior vice president and investment officer with Wells Fargo Advisors. He also served as the chairman of the Sarasota Housing Committee for two years and currently serves as the vice chairman.
Colon ran for County Commissioner in 2012.
“It is my vision and the governor’s vision to make sure students get the world class education they deserve and to prepare them for careers,” said Colon.
He said that as chair of the Manatee and Sarasota counties’ UNCF Scholarship organization, which gives financial aid to moderate and low-income minorities, education is near and dear to him.
Colon added that he will bring his business background and community experience to the position.
His appointed term on the State Board of Education began February 7 and continues until December 31, 2014. Colon succeeds Akshay M. Desai.  
Scott also appointed Dr. Ada G. Armas of Coral Gables and John Padget of Key West.
The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
The State Board of Education measures the progress of students and aims to increase the proficiency of students to prepare them for entering the workforce.

School Board of Manatee County Releases Forensic Audit

The School Board released the forensic audit around 5 p.m. today. Check out a glimpse at the story here and make sure to check out the full-length story tomorrow.

Sixth Finalist for Superintendent

The Manatee County School Board yesterday approved a sixth finalist in the search for superintendent. Read the full story on the Bradenton Herald website here.