Laurie Breslin is a promotion from within.
By Noah Vinsky
Original Air Date: August 27, 2025
Host: After the ousting of superintendent Jason Wysong in May, the School Board of Manatee County has finally selected his permanent replacement. WSLR’s Noah Vinsky tells us who.
Dr. Laurie Breslin
Noah Vinsky: Following a months-long superintendent selection process, the Manatee County School Board has opted for an in-house candidate, selecting Laurie Breslin to serve as the district’s next superintendent.
Breslin was unanimously approved by the board with a 5-0 vote. She prevailed over other finalist Misty Mathis, the Executive Director of Curriculum for Nassau County Schools.
Breslin has over two decades of education experience in Southwest Florida. She most recently served as the Manatee School District’s Executive Director of Student Support and Family Engagement, a role she held since 2023.
Heather Felton said the decision process was razor thin between Breslin and Mathis. Breslin’s local ties ultimately gave her the edge.
Heather Felton
Heather Felton: She’s already in the district. She knows everyone. I believe that she would have an easier time getting invested in the process and being in the role.
NV: Breslin originally taught English at Manatee High School and became the school’s assistant principal in 2010. After brief stints at Palmetto and Booker High Schools, she served as the principal at Sarasota Middle School for three years before moving back to the Manatee district with a leadership role in 2021.
Board members said they were impressed by Mathis’s skills and experience but preferred Breslin’s track record within the Manatee School District.
NV: Board member Charlie Kennedy said Breslin, who was once his colleague at Manatee High School, was one of his top frontrunners since the beginning of the selection process.
Charlie Kennedy
Charlie Kennedy: You saw her intelligence, her empathy, her few decades of experience in the school district. She started off as a substitute at Southeast High School, and here we are discussing her as a superintendent of Manatee schools.
NV: Breslin is expected to start in early September.
Noah Vinsky for WSLR News.
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