Manatee County Schools Fast Facts 2009

	The mission of the Manatee County School District is to inspire our students with a passion for learning, empowered to pursue their dreams confidently and creatively while contributing to our community, nation and world.
	The Manatee County School District is home to more than 41,000 students.
	The district has more than 5,000 employees, making it the largest employer in Manatee County. District employees include more than 2,400 teachers and more than 600 paraprofessionals, or teacher´s aides.
	There are 219 National Board Certified Teachers in the Manatee District.
	The Manatee County school system has 35 traditional elementary schools, 10 traditional middle schools, 7 traditional high schools, an award winning technical institute, 8 charter schools and a variety of other alternative education sites.
	The ethnic makeup of the Manatee District is 56% White, 23% Hispanic, 15% African American and 6% representing a wide variety of additional ethnic backgrounds. There are approximately 1,400 immigrant students in the district that were born outside of the United States and have been in this country less than three years.
	There are almost 100 foreign languages spoken in district schools ranging from Abkhazian to Vietnamese.
	Manatee Technical Institute has earned a reputation as the premier technical institute in the nation as its students have won more medals than any other school or college in the country for six consecutive years at the annual SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City, Mo.
	During the 2008-2009 school year, 51% of the Manatee District´s schools received an A grade from the state based on student performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. 76% of district schools received an A or B grade.
	In 2009, the Manatee District opened its first certified “Green School” when G.D. Rogers Garden Elementary welcomed students for the first time in August.
	Also in 2009, the Manatee District became the first school district in the nation to employ an innovative new Green technology that transforms Styrofoam lunch trays into usable plastic flower pots that can be sold to raise funds for schools. The new program has been implemented at two district schools: Palmetto High School and Nolan Middle School. At Palmetto High alone, the new program is expected to reduce the garbage bag total by over 9,000 bags a year and cut costs by curbing garbage pickup charges and reducing the number of garbage bags used.
	In 2007, the Manatee County School District became the first school district in the country to incorporate hybrid buses into its fleet under the Plug-In Hybrid School Bus Project.
	In 2005, the Manatee County School District became the first school district in Florida to convert its school buses and other diesel-powered vehicles to BioDiesel fuel.
	On September 10, 2009, following a public hearing, the Manatee County School Board officially approved a $706 million budget for the 2009-2010 school year. Adoption of the budget concluded a totally transparent budgeting process that began in December 2008.
	The Manatee County School District was the first school district in Florida to receive the Seal of Best Financial Practices from the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), when it was awarded that distinction in May 2002.
	For five-consecutive years, the Manatee County School District has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. This award is one of the highest forms of recognition in governmental budgeting.
	The Manatee District has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Association of School Business Officials, International for three consecutive years. The Certificate of Excellence is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
	International Baccalaureate programs have been implemented at Wakeland Elementary, Johnson Middle and Southeast High to provide district students access to an IB continuum of education from kindergarten through 12th grade.

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