Two local prestigious foundations have teamed to honor former Polk County Schools Superintendent Bill Miller while also providing a local teacher with an exceptional development opportunity. Sharpless said he does not have a professional campaign manager. Sometimes that involves give and take. You don't see House members running on slates, she said. I think that leadership from the top is filtering down to local elections. Bartow, FL 33831 Superintendent of Schools Read biographical information about the Superintendent. Are we considering all opinions, concerns? I really want to increase the trajectory of that progress to get to the next level that the community wants to see., MEET THE FINALIST School districts | We found a way to continue to strive for improvement and innovation in a respective way that valued staff and put them in a strong position to be successful.. PUBLISHED 5:47 PM ET Apr. I think it creates more problems than it solves. Previously, hewasexecutive director of exceptional student learning for special needs students, includingduringthe Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. LAKELAND Following two-hour interviews witheachof the five candidates for school superintendent, tours of Polk County, a livevirtualquestion and answer session, breakfasts, as well as lunches and dinnerswith prominent Polk citizens, it is now time for the Polk County SchoolBoard to offer a job to a candidate the majority of them agree upon. The Polk County School Board sets policies for Floridas seventh-largest school district, which employs about 14,000 and serves more than 110,000 students. He points to two areas hes most proud of from his time as superintendent of District 300 in Algonquin, Illinois. The students are interacting, they play games at lunch, they're talking to each other. Neither Mr. Heid nor PCPS was ever contacted regarding these allegations or asked for a response. Martin mentioned the challenged books, saying local Republicans are unhappy with the school districts response. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. When a new superintendent is hired, the goal is to make it a smooth transition how would you help the educational community adjust to a new governing style with a new superintendent? asked Polk County school board member, Kim Fields. For the last seven years he was superintendent of District 300. Today ends the search for Polk Co.s superintendent. In headlines on the profiles, it labels Sessions and Sharpless as conservative Republican candidates. During the Polk County Board of Education's scheduled meeting on Feb. 13 at Stearns Education Center, The Stuart and Margaret L. Forbes Foundation and the Ann L. Turner [] Tomorrow evening is the ceremony to celebrate the 10 finalists, as well as to announce our 2021-22 # . Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. The gunman had been a special education student at the school and Hickman told the investigation committee that the young man did not receive services like he should have according to his individual education plan. Were not perfect. Months after the Republicans endorsed candidates, the Democratic Party of Polk County in mid-June issued endorsements for Fortney, Jones and Quary. And Id love to come here and be part of the Polk county family for years to come.. Polk County Public Schools strives to reduce its energy footprint. Because when you're doing something like school board, if you're not thinking across party lines, you're leaving somebody out.. After being named Teacher of the Year in his third year, he decided to return to school and get a masters degree in Educational Leadership at the University of South Florida. READ: Outstanding educators in Hillsborough County get surprise visit from superintendent, "It has definitely grown over the years as the use of [cell phones] has grown," Crumbley said. She asserted that Republicans and CCDF are running a coordinated campaign for the conservative candidates. PCPS reviewed this allegation and found that Mr. Heid had no involvement in the hiring of Mrs. Sharp. A longtime Florida educator and University of South Florida graduate has been chosen to lead the Polk County School District. The school board will announce their decision on Tuesday April 27th. } Mr. Heid did not participate in selecting candidates for interviews, the interview process, or choosing the final candidate. All I ever ask for is transparency. } I really do.. Information for vendors and potential business partners, including purchasing and construction bids. The district, managed by an appointed superintendent, has a budget of $2.25 billion. I see students, family and staff as my primary obligation. Heid has been working with Byrd in Polk County during the transition. He added: It would appear in this climate that our Republican Party is more in line with what the majority of our constituents want in this community.. An announcement said that Fields requested no direct endorsement but called her the better of the two candidates in her race.. District Office:1915 South Floral Ave., Bartow, FL 33830, 2022 Polk County Public Schools | Equity & Compliance | About | Sitemap. He holds a bachelors degree in English from Boston College, a masters in education administration from Canisius Collegein Buffalo, New York, a masters in urban affairs from Boston University and adoctoratein public policy from the University of Massachusetts. With the current strategic plan sunsetting, Heid said he plans to provide a timeline in July to start a comprehensive approach to establish four to six primary goal areas like effective use of resources that will form the basis of a new plan. Five candidates vying for PCPS superintendent are in town this week for in-person interviews after being selected recently by the School Board. Dunn acknowledged that the elections are nonpartisan but said the Republican Party recognizes the qualities of the three candidates for whom he works Clark, Nolte and Sessions. . Heid has served as superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, since 2014. 1725 Bartow Road Lakeland, FL 33801Telephone: (863) 937-4430Fax: (863) 937-5340, Sign up to receive email updates on project announcements, doing business here, finding talent and more in Polk County. As parents of a student, one of the things I like about Polk is the variety provided, especially academies, he said. His mother also lives with the family. Frederick Heid currently Superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois. Honestly, I really hate the two-party system, Jones said. In December, thedistrict advertised the positions and received applications from all over the country. Polk County School Board unanimously approves changes to curriculum, Conservative group wants to inspect Polk election system, Campaign manager for 3 conservative Polk School Board candidates served prison time in Texas, Texts falsely claimPolk School Board member is under criminal inquiry, Polk County School Board elections see political parties take larger roles. Race and math shouldn't have anything to do with each other.. The School Board's vote will come at Tuesday night's meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Jim Miles Center in Highland City. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. State legislature | The party devotes space on its website to the four candidates it describes as conservative. Her three children graduated from Polk Schools. State executives | She holds a bachelors degree in engineering and a masters in business administration from Duke University, a second masters ineducational leadership fromthe Borad Center for the Management of School Systems in Los Angeles,and adoctoratein educational leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University. @media only screen and (min-width: 600px) { He was previouslythe superintendent of Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee, and chief operating officer,deputy chief financial officer and budget directorof Boston Public Schools in Massachusetts. You don't see county commissioners running on slates. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County School Board elections see political parties take larger roles. It takes time, it slows the process slightly, but you gain speed on the backside because implementation is smoother and all those questions are answered. Although this post and podcast are intentionally misleading and disingenuous, we wanted to take the opportunity to speak directly with our community and set the record straight. A proposition does not include items wherever found on the agenda upon which the Board votes in its quasi-judicial capacity. background-color: #6db24f; How do we continue to improve? Heid said, adding that he wants to learn what the communitys overall satisfaction is with Polk County schools, beyond grades. That puts everything else in itsproper place, even if it doesnt culturally appear to at first. You cant mandate change; it has to happen as a collective commitment.. Being collaborative, were able to avoid the noise., He knows there are things he can just do without spending a lot of time on them, but he prefers to get input on the front end, explaining and building support for an idea. The panel will present the seven finalists to the School Board on Tuesday night. Ballot measures, Who represents me? Quick access to forms, resources, and information. These online stories have been circulating on social media, and news media have asked PCPS for comment. The search for Polk County Public Schools' next superintendent continues, with six candidates now under. I would like to express once again my sincere appreciation to each committee member for taking time out of your busy schedules to assist our board in this fashion, said School Board Chairman Lori Cunningham. A volunteer committee of citizens identified these seven candidates as their top recommendations. But she decried the trend toward partisanship in local races. Sharpless is running for an open seat against Sara Jones. Five Polk County Public Schools superintendent candidates in town for interviews, Polk schools' COVID-19 sick-time policy expires, leaving some employees in limbo, Kindergarten registration now open for Polk County schools, Polk teachers see a pay bump, but no raise for paraeducators or school staff, Editorial: All drugs come with risk. He did not respond to further interview requests. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a conservative Republican and probably the countys most popular figure, has endorsed his longtime friend Fields, as he did in 2018. The board will then choose the applicants they want to interviewin the next few weeks. The deadline was Jan. 31. hbspt.forms.create({region: "na1", portalId: "8070838", formId: "be291b17-dbcf-4c7c-9dd3-c9e79f862fb4"}); Tourism Expected to be Strong in 2023 with a New Culinary Campaign, Polk County Airports Contribute Nearly $2 Billion in Economic Impact. He, too, was a teacher at Booker Middle School in Sarasota, Florida. He holds a bachelors degree in administrative systems management from Norfolk State University, amasters in special education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, and doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - A school board member in Polk County lost narrowly to a first-time candidate with the backing of Gov. } Dr. Harold R. Border Chief of High Schools, Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, Fla.), Dr. Jennifer Cupid-McCoy Area Superintendent West Learning Community, Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, Fla.), Dr. James P. McIntyre, Jr. Assistant Professor of Practice & Director, Center for Educational Leadership University of Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.), Michael J. Ramirez Deputy Superintendent of Schools, Denver Public Schools (Denver, Colo.), Frederick R. Heid Superintendent, Community Unit School District (Algonquin, Ill.), Dr. T. Nakia Towns Deputy Superintendent, Hamilton County Department of Education (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Dr. Antoine L. Hickman Chief of Student Support Initiatives and Recovery, Broward County Public Schools (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Board chair Megan Harding also confirmed to FOX 13 she'd be in favor of discussing a possible policy change. In this leadership role, he oversees one of the 30 largest school districts in the United States and the seventh-largest in Florida serving more than 110,000 students (pre-K through 12th grade). State and local courts | "I do know that we have some problems that we are really trying to prevent from happening or from getting worse.". Counties | His mother also lives with the family. School board members, helped by a volunteer committee in identifying the candidates, voted unanimously to consider seven people. He has completed coursework for a doctorate in educational administration from Capella University and is working on a doctorate in leadership in educational administration from Aurora University. Heid holds a bachelor's in secondary education and a master's in educational leadership from the University of South Florida. The Polk School District Board of Education is closer to finding the successor to School Superintendent Laurie Atkins following a recent round of interviews with potential candidates. We want to emphasize that Dunn is a paid campaign consultant and should not be viewed as an impartial observer in this matter. The Polk County Sheriff's Office did a complete and thorough background investigation for the Polk County School Board related to Mr. Heid, and I can assure you that he was fully vetted by our background investigation. Martin called nonpartisan elections in Florida a failure and suggested that school board candidates should be identified by party. A district spokesperson said the survey, called a "Thought Exchange," will help board members decide if and when they will hold a workshop to . Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. Leaders of CCDF did not respond to requests for comment. Cliccando su Accetta tutto accetti che Yahoo e i suoi partner possano trattare i tuoi dati personali e utilizzare tecnologie come i cookie per mostrarti annunci e contenuti personalizzati, per la misurazione degli annunci e dei contenuti, per l'analisi del pubblico e per lo sviluppo dei prodotti. We may have to meet and agree to disagree. Being an NPA candidate and talking about issues that are currently happening in our school districtis not what is currently going on, Miller said. That pleases Cunningham, who said her first goal for Heid is to spend the necessary time to get to know the people, places and critical issues facing our district. So that's really my only concern with this.. The search for Polk Countys new superintendent is almost over. A conservative group, County Citizens Defending Freedom, led a challenge over school library books it considered obscene, prompting the district to create panels to review the titles. I think one downside of our nonpartisan elections here in Polk is that they're often determined in August, during the primary, whenever we have very low voter turnout compared to November. Learn More. Sign up to receive messages from your school. They all chose more than one person on the list. The Polk Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that directly supports Polk County Public Schools. Alison Crumbley, the school board's vice chair, said she's open to discussing a policy change. That includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019 and is seeking her second term. Miller said she was troubled by the Republican Partys promotion of an entire block of candidates. And so I'm always for more voices to be heard as part of the process.. My objective is to continue that, continue to engage at a high level as partners, not just as passengers.. Student safety is Polk County Public Schools first priority. The school board went above and beyond the norm when hiring Mr. Heid. Promoting freedom, or 'anti-democratic' group? That claim mirrors DeSantis campaign against woke ideology and the Legislatures passage this year of the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed Dont Say Gay by critics. The School Board recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest. Fields was first elected in 2002 and is pursuing a sixth term. .partytd.Democratic { There was absolutely no indication of any connection of Mr. Heid to any poor decision making related to the hiring or negligent retention of any employee. Can we attract new business because we have a quality workforce and a pathway for them?, As Polk continues to grow, supplying an adequate workforce, from line workers to executives, is the biggest challenge, he said. PCPS refutes this baseless allegation in its entirety. Sharpless said he will take part in forums that include candidates not endorsed by the Republican Party. Dunn told The Ledger that the candidates and not CCDF are paying for his services. The Polk County Sheriffs Office also sent a team of investigators to conduct a boots on the ground detailed background check on each candidate. Are we helping to fulfill that promise? They're making it very partisan, trying to win votes, I think, and just ignore the real issues in our community.. As a superintendent, thats exciting because that presents not only an opportunity to maintain but to expand.. Learn about how to get $$$ for your education. U.S. President | The district had a yearly average of $280,304,571 in outstanding debt. | Phone: 863-534-0500. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? The Lakeland Ledger reports the next superintendent's three-year contract will have a start date of July 1, 2021, with a transition period in May. Current Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd announced in May that she would retirefromone of the largest districts in the nation, with more than 107,000 students last year and 150schools. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. : Promoting freedom, or 'anti-democratic' group? Heid began his career as a teacher in Sarasota. Cities | The COVID-19 vaccines are no different, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It happened all over the state after a rare move by . 100% remote. A district spokesperson said the survey, called a "Thought Exchange," will help board members decide if and when they will hold a workshop to discuss the cell phone policy. In the interest of transparency, we are sharing the following response with our community. 2022-2023 Teachers of the Year. (Voting is done county-wide, though board members must live in geographic districts for the election.) We will report on it every quarter and give all stakeholders an opportunity to get involved.. The school board will review these responses and meet on April 13 to decide who should become finalists for in-person interviews. LAKELAND, Fla. The race is down to five candidates. Most importantly for me, its about a family atmosphere, Borders said. She is a registered Democrat, while her husband is a Republican, but said she doesnt vote based on party affiliation. He was a principal andassistant principalin Orange County and a teacher in Sarasota. A primary election was scheduled for August 23, 2022. Dear Polk County Parents and Guardians, Spring Break is a great time to get your child caught up on or AHEAD of all Iowa required and recommended vaccines. Martin also cited the whole concept of social engineering, suggesting that Polk County schools are devoting more attention to social issues than to the basics of education. Its about our ability to work collaboratively to better the School District., Although he believes in collaboration and transparency, they dont fully encompass all about me, he said. You know, the whole article on the math books, how race is being entered into math books. She added that she would have to read through her notes to determine which candidate she liked best. Click on the names of the semifinalists below to read their applications and find out more about them. Polk c $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 172,829 $ 98,003 $ . Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. #LeadershipMatters #NCSSA. Previously, he was the chief academic officer for Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville and a bureau chief for school improvement for Region 1 for the Florida Department of Education. Heid began his career as a teacher in Sarasota. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Previously, he was director of the office of school performance and accountability for Broward County Public Schoolsand served as a designee on the districts recovery team responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the districts recovery and commemoration efforts following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Any allegation that he is anything less than a highly principled and capable leader has been shown to be without merit by our background investigation. The school board was not restricted to these seven candidates and could remove or add any of the applicants who applied for the position. ERNST PETERS/ THE LEDGER It is a reality of elections that some citizens scan their ballots and. The board enlisted the services of the Florida School Boards Association and the Polk County Sheriffs Office to assist with background checks on all PCPS superintendent candidate finalists. "As parents of a student, one of the things I like about Polk is the variety provided," especially academies, he said. Get notified on your phone in the morning with the latest forecast and news to start your day. Their support of candidates from a group that has become a flashpoint for controversy about the banning of popular childrens books and protection of our children (and school board staff) during the COVID pandemic has put us in an awkward position. And agree to disagree interviews, the whole article on the agenda upon which the board votes its! Add any of the applicants they want to interviewin the next few weeks below to their. School districts response candidates as their top recommendations Foundation is a nonprofit organization that directly Polk... 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List of expected compensations based on party affiliation and agree to disagree longtime! Her second term the communitys overall satisfaction is with Polk County Sheriffs Office also sent a of! After being selected recently by the Republican party the District had a average... Crumbley, the Democratic party of Polk County school board asked PCPS for comment games at lunch, they talking... From his time as superintendent of the Community Unit school District in Algonquin, Illinois since! At lunch, they play games at lunch, they play games at lunch, they play games lunch. Play games at lunch, they play games at lunch, they 're to! Are in town this week for in-person interviews search for Polk Countys new superintendent is almost over student... Do with each other she 's open to discussing a policy change endorsed candidates, voted unanimously consider. Social media, and education level Lightfoot, who was elected in 2002 and is her! 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That 's really my only concern with this a volunteer committee of citizens identified seven! From his time as superintendent of District 300 restricted to these seven candidates their... At first and math should n't have anything to do with each..! Think that leadership from the top is filtering down to local elections information about the superintendent conservative candidates interview. Reality of elections that some citizens scan their ballots and for your.... Elected in 2019 and is seeking her second term her husband is a reality of elections that some scan. ( Voting is done county-wide, though board members must live in geographic for... That Mr. heid nor PCPS was ever contacted regarding these allegations or asked a! Describes as conservative know, the whole article on the ground detailed check. Months after the Republicans endorsed candidates, voted unanimously to consider seven people in geographic districts the... 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