The new leader of the Sarasota County School Board says she hopes 2019 will be a bit less contentious than last year.

New chairwoman Jane Goodwin told the Herald-Tribune she hopes the negative attention around what she called the ‘tense meetings’ will wear off.

She said she has two main focuses this year- the district’s legislative platform and its fledgling police department, which is recovering from the resignation of its top two officials in its first year of existence.