MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Wysong was terminated from his position during a special school board meeting on Tuesday.
The school board called a meeting on Tuesday morning with only one focus: the Superintendent's contract.
“This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction from me. There’s a lot of things that have kind of built up through this time period, and I think it’s time for a change," said Board Chair Chad Choate.
WATCH: Manatee County Superintendent out after school board votes to remove him
Wysong was sworn in as Superintendent in July 2023. Now less than two years later, some board members called into question concerns, including communication issues, they felt they had with him.
“The communication problems began to manifest, things like sending the Superintendent emails, which received no response," said board member Charlie Kennedy.
"I think that the style, the way to lead the district is just not a fit for me," said Choate.
Yet others came to Wysong's defense.
“I still have absolute trust in what he is doing because I see his integrity and I see his heart," said board member Heather Felton.
“He said what kind of candidate is going to come to this situation knowing that the last guy was fired without cause?” said board member Richard Tatem.
After an hours-long discussion and in a 3-2 vote, the school board terminated Wysong’s contract without cause effective Tuesday.
During the meeting, Wysong said he’s proud of what’s been accomplished in two years and that it was never his desire to not meet communication expectations.
“I'm not giving up on the employees and the students and the families of this district, but I will get out of the way if that's what you all want," Wysong said during the meeting. "And if that's where we're headed, I’m going to leave today with my head held high. I’ve done everything I said I was going to do when I interviewed. I always put kids at the center of the decision, even when it doesn’t make adults happy.”
Wysong further provided this statement to ABC Action News after the meeting:
This morning, our School Board voted to make a change in the Superintendent’s office. Although the journey was much shorter than I had planned, I am departing SDMC with many wonderful memories of visiting schools, attending events, and serving families.From the moment I arrived in Manatee, our talented team of 6,000 educators, leaders, and staff have answered my call to focus on students and build momentum toward achieving the district’s highest priorities. There is much to celebrate about our two years together, and I am proud what has been accomplished:Although our core mission is serving students, among my proudest memories will be of our team shifting gears to support the community through multiple storms in 2024.It has been a privilege to serve the students and families of Manatee County as well as to lead the amazing team at SDMC. I wish our schools and communities continued success!
- Student academic outcomes were up in all 11 accountability categories in 2023-24, and preliminary results from 2024-25 indicate continued growth at most grade levels in reading and science
- The high school graduation rate for the Class of 2024 was up more than 4 percentage points, and even before summer graduation counts, the Class of 2025 will set an all-time high graduation rate for SDMC. If this initiative remains intact, SDMC may even reach a 90% graduation rate for 2026
- Construction of new schools and renovation of existing facilities is on track, with more than $600 million in capital projects currently underway including five new schools between 2025 and 2027
- Our high schools are safer than ever with the successful implementation of universal daily security screening, and we are ready to expand this initiative to all middle schools next year
- With overwhelming support from Manatee County voters, additional tax revenue has made teacher salaries in Manatee among the highest in the state—giving us competitive advantage in both recruitment and retention of high quality personnel.
- The district’s general operating fund is healthy--including a reserve sufficient to mitigate economic uncertainty, financing for new campuses has been secured with a reasonable and affordable debt service plan, and significant action has been taken to stabilize the employee health insurance program.
In August 2024, ABC Action News anchor Lauren St. Germain interviewed Wysong as he started his second year with the district, where they discussed challenges and changes underway in the district.
Tuesday's meeting caught some in the community off guard. Several spoke in support of Superintendent Wysong.
"He is such an advocate for our kids. He's such an advocate for the community. As far as communication goes, he has been an excellent communicator with the community," said Barbara Ehren. "I am really heartbroken. He didn’t deserve this."
Mary Foreman, a former school board member on the committee that chose to hire Wysong, also showed up to support the Superintendent.
“Furious and disappointed," said Foreman. “The man did not do anything wrong as they stated. He did his job.”
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