Manatee Co. Schools Educator, Support Employee Of The Year Finalists

BRADENTON, FL — The school district has announced the finalists for Manatee County’s Educator of the Year and Support Employee of the Year.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Jason Wysong, along with school board members Mary Foreman, Gina Messenger, and Richard Tatem, joined representatives from the Manatee Education Foundation and school district leadership to name the eight finalists for the 2024 Excellence in Education Awards.

Educator of the Year finalists are:

• Katie Bagley, third-grade teacher at Prine Elementary School
• Joadie Durfee, fifth-grade teacher at Barbara A. Harvey Elementary School
• Debra McCarthy, language arts teacher at Lakewood Ranch High School
• Jessica Spence, first-grade teacher at McNeal Elementary School

Support Employee of the Year finalists are:

• Denise Costello, paraprofessional at Sea Breeze Elementary School
• Jennifer Harper, VPK child development associate at Williams Elementary School
• Patrice Cairo, computer lab manager at Witt Elementary School
• Patricia Pearson, clerical assistant/attendance clerk at Braden River Middle School

The finalists will be honored, and the “Educator of the Year” and “Support Employee of the Year” will be announced, at the Excellence in Education Awards. That event will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, at Manatee High School.

The educator representative for Manatee County will advance to the Florida Teacher of the Year program, while the support representative will advance to the Florida School-Related Employee of the Year program.