The School District of Manatee County has joined forces with the Manatee Education Foundation to launch the Manatee Arts Education Council (MAEC). The mission of the MAEC is to support, promote, and celebrate PreK-12 arts education in the public schools of Manatee County. MAEC’s vision is for every student in every public school to have equitable access to a well-rounded education that includes a comprehensive, sequential, high-quality program of arts instruction; and for the community to have broad-based cultural programs available to support lifelong learning in and through the arts. One hundred percent of funds raised for the MAEC support the programs including: arts education professional development teachers, student and art educator scholarships, arts enrichment camps, arts classroom and field trip grants, district-level honors performances and exhibits and recognition awards. MAEC founder, Julie Hebert, is the Arts Curriculum Specialist with the SDMC. Executive Director of the MEF, Mary Glass, and Julie serve as the MAEC Board Advisors. Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, Director the the Florida Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching (PAInT) at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, has been appointed as the MAEC Board Chairwoman.

Manatee Education Foundation