Candidate Profile 2024: Parkman For Manatee County School Board

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Heather Felton is running for the Manatee County Commission District 1 seat. She faces two opponents in the race.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all District 3 candidates.

Find Parkman’s responses below:

Name:

Perri Ann Parkman

Age:

60

Occupation:

Retired Business Owner, Holistic Healer, Yoga Instructor, Co-Founder The Mac Parkman Foundation

Why are you running for office?

I am running for the Manatee County School Board District 3 seat to provide a conservative voice on the school board advocating for adequate teacher salaries aligned with the cost of living in Florida, early learning with emphasis on the basics, the promotion of brain safe sports and the sustainment of safe environments for learning.

What do you think are the top three issues the school district is currently facing?

There are more than three issues facing Manatees public schools but my top three are:

1. The current long-term debt of $245,000,000 and how that will affect our County’s ability to scale its school system, adequately compensate their active and retired teachers, and out property taxes.
2. Our teachers compensation package: Florida teaching salaries rank 50th in the nation and I feel that this is a horrible statistic and must be addressed. Salaries need to reflect not only the cost of living here in Florida, but also the fact that our teachers are certified and educated professionals that we entrust with the most critical formative years of our children.
3. Social media and its influence on schools. I am distressed by the impact that social media has on our children today and how it has affected their behavior and ability to learn. Our son was part of the generation that was raised on cell phones and we are paying an enormous price for this. We need to counter the negative impact of social media with a school system that engages in teaching in a caring and compassionate way and limits the availability of social media to our kids in order to get them focused on learning.

Learn more about Parkman at her campaign website.