Manatee and Sarasota are two Gulf Coast counties located fifty miles south of Tampa. Comparisons between the two are inevitable. Whether the topic is beaches, philanthropy, football, water treatment, or the arts, everyone contends that one county is better than the other.
Sarasota County often wins the bragging rights contests, in part because years ago the Selbys and Ringlings made longer lasting contributions in Sarasota than the great accomplishments of the Braden, Fogarty, and Lee families in Manatee. In addition, Sarasota has more higher paying jobs than Manatee, and its formidable downtown is more of a draw.
Manatee County, though, is making great strides. Manatee, no longer merely a coastal village, has 34 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 7 high schools. Its 5,300 full-time employees serve 42,000 students, numbers which are similar to its slightly more populous southern neighbor, Sarasota County, which has 24 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 11 high schools.
With strong Board support and excellent staff work from two departments, Facility Planning and Construction Services, each of the three superintendents who preceded the current superintendent helped upgrade the physical condition of the county schools. Embattled Dr. Gene Denisar transformed four high schools, which resembled low-rent junior high schools, into attractive, modern high schools. Popular Dr. Dan Nolan was perhaps the only one who could have pushed through a half cent tax increase with so little opposition, thus providing ample funding for future construction and renovation. Controversial Dr. Roger Dearing had a flair for welcoming people into school buildings with fresh paint, attractive signage, and frequent cleaning. Mr. McGonegal has sustained the facilities momentum initiated by his predecessors.
During the past six months, I drove by most of the public schools in each county to determine curb appeal. While both counties own a vast majority of school buildings in which children would want to attend and teachers would want to work, I give the nod to the Manatee County schools because of their greater sparkle. Can it be that Manatee County is gaining ground on its rival?
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