It's recently come to the Bradenton community's attention that the future of our beloved Palma Sola Elementary School is being threatened. We're asking all residents and supporters sign this petition to make County leaders aware that Manatee County residents do not support the closure of PSE. The School Board is threatening to take away PSE from the students, community, family and staff, and we ask that you stand with us. A closure is unacceptable and PSE needs to be updated or rebuilt for Manatee County's future. 

Palma Sola's history dates back to 1961. Bradenton natives pride themselves on being PSE alumni and there's no doubt that you've seen current students wear their PSE gear all over town. It's no secret that Palma Sola Panthers are proud to call PSE their school. 

Palma Sola Elementary has charm. There is a lush courtyard for picnics, sidewalks under mature oak trees, and is nestled in the heart of west/northwest Bradenton. At school drop off and pick up, you've likely been stopped by our resident crossing guards, assisting a vast number of students safely walk to school. These are students and families that are in PSE's backyard. Neighborhoods surround PSE. You can hear the children playing during recess, the bells ring, the announcements over the loud speakers and the joy coming from the school right in your backyard. These backyards are homes owned by parents who attended PSE 20+ years ago. In fact, a number of those parents had the same teachers as their children. PSE is a family. The PSE family is at stake.

There is an amazing group of administrators, approximately 71 teachers and staff members, and hard-working paraprofessionals enthusiastically leading and shaping our 444 Palma Sola students. This group works hard to shape and teach our children compassion, kindness, leadership and the skills they need to succeed; and they do it all out of love and a pure passion for teaching. These PSE teachers' and staff's livelihood are at stake. 

Our students thrive not only because of our teachers, but due to our smaller class sizes. Despite PSE teachers' feet-first approach to e-learning, COVID-19 wreaked havoc on our students' progress and educational development. Upon the students' return, the teacher/student ratio allowed our children to thrive. It's a benefit that has always helped our children thrive. Our childrens' development is at stake. Crowding students in with other schools compounds the issues. People are flocking to Bradenton. Its population grows by the day and will continue to do so because of our beautiful community. As our population grows, the need for schools increases. Shutting down our school is not the answer. 

To-date, rumors are circulating and the School Board of Manatee County has provided no information. However, a great amount of details have been shared by local leaders, principals and others in the community that are specific, yet our leadership is not being transparent. If our school closes and the School Board sells the property, will it simply be sold to the highest bidder? If a residential developer builds 50+ new homes, our parent/teacher ratio would be severely threatened. If a commercial developer buys the property, our quaint community would be gone and our property values would suffer. It's time for answers. PSE matters. Our administrators, teachers and staff matter. Our students matter. Our families matter. This community matters. Our future matters. Our voices will be heard and we will stand up.

The upcoming meetings of the School Board of Manatee County can be found here:

https://www.manateeschools.net/Page/11444

The contact information for our School Board members can be found here:

https://www.manateeschools.net/domain/1115

Stand with us. Please consider signing this petition to show your support of PSE. We also ask that you consider emailing our School Board members, and keep abreast on the upcoming School Board meetings. If you plan on speaking, please submit your request timely and review any time limits and rules for public comment. Any support is appreciated!

For those that may not be aware, here is some information about PSE:

Palma Sola Elementary School was established in 1961, and we serve approximately 600 students in Pre-K through 5th Grade. Our school is nestled in a beautiful neighborhood in Northwest Bradenton, and we serve students from the surrounding areas. We offer speech, language, ESE, OT and PT services to students who qualify. In addition, we have a gifted program that serves students in Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Our academic record is outstanding! For the last 17 years we have been a top-rated school in the state of Florida!  We have consistently scored above the state average on state assessments.  We consider our school a community of learners, and our teachers are involved in ongoing professional development. To effectively apply what is learned, grade level teams plan collaboratively in order to share and grow new ideas that will best meet the needs of all students. 

Palma Sola prides itself on being a family friendly school. Throughout the year, we host fun family events that include all family members; Family Movie Night, Fall Harvest Round Up, Science Night, etc. 

We are working to make happy elementary school memories for everyone!