So, were going to be involved in school board races. This was a sentiment echoed by finalist Harold Borders. She has also taken specialistcourses at Harvard University. Its salary ranges from $215,000 to $275,000, plus competitive benefits. People of all political parties have children in our schools. The Republican Party is committed to making certain that we restore our schools to the functions that they were meant to be, which is teaching our children reading, writing and arithmetic, and keeping all of the other stuff, if you will, out of our schools, out of the curriculum, Dunn said. J.C. Martin, chair of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, was in attendance at that informal gathering. Information on how to become an approved volunteer and other ways to support Polk County Public Schools. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. The board will then choose the applicants they want to interviewin the next few weeks. PCPS refutes this baseless allegation in its entirety. The local Democratic Party eventually responded by announcing its preferred School Board candidates. Board Meetings Access board meeting calendar, agendas and minutes. .bptable.gray th { background:#4c4c4c;color:#fff; }, Elections are held on a staggered basis in the November general election.[9]. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. The vote on the superintendent selection is the final item on the. Kimberly Reicks, a well-known Iowa right-wing activist and Gov. Collaboration is how we get there. He has a proven track record in attaining positive student academic performance, resulting in improved graduation rates., Hes also bilingual in English and Spanish and understands the diverse multicultural students, families and staff members throughout our county, she said. Who is the CCDF? And I was disappointed at the fact that many of the Republican organizations would not allow me to speak to them because I'm a registered Democrat, because I think that they will find that they agree with a lot of the things that we say. 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. Jones, a Lake Wales resident, is making her first run for office in District 6 after Lynn Wilson decided not to seek re-election. color: white; If not, please subscribe and help keep coverage of the most important local news coming. @media only screen and (min-width: 600px) { POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - A school board member in Polk County lost narrowly to a first-time candidate with the backing of Gov. . Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's Frederick Heid is the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. LAKELAND, Fla. The search for the next superintendent of Polk County Public Schools is over. Information for vendors and potential business partners, including purchasing and construction bids. Were not perfect. Clark, reached by phone, referreda reporter to Dunn, his campaign manager. Allegation: The Polk County School Board failed to conduct a proper background check on Mr. Heid as a candidate prior to hiring him as superintendent. 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. Neither report revealed anything of concern. Jennifer Cupid-McCoy currently an area superintendent for nearby Orange County Public Schools. 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. Our background investigation was well aware of legal filings involving District 300 schools in Kane County, Illinois. In the interest of transparency, we are sharing the following response with our community. The party devotes space on its website to the four candidates it describes as conservative. The Ledger LAKELAND The Polk County Public Schools citizens advisory committee on Thursday evening whittled 52 candidates who applied for school superintendent to their top seven.. The committee picked 15 semifinalists last week and then Thursday night refined the list againby nearly halfwhen the panel of 36 peoplevotedfor their top picks. Ankeny is located in Polk County. Miller said she was troubled by the Republican Partys promotion of an entire block of candidates. Were at a period of time in our country where we have to take control, assert control. Allegation: The Polk County School Board failed to conduct a proper background check on Mr. Heid as a candidate prior to hiring him as superintendent. Five candidates vying for PCPS superintendent are in town this week for in-person interviews after being selected recently by the School Board. I trust him. "Our teachers are able to teach content more. Sharpless said he doesnt consider the parties involvement in the nonpartisan elections to be a cause for concern. Panels consisting of adults and students assessed the 16 books, voting to keep all of them in school libraries with some restrictions. Sex education: Polk County School Board unanimously approves changes to curriculum, More on CCDF: Conservative group wants to inspect Polk election system. Polk County Schools Kelly Welsh (Tryon Elementary) Polk Central Elementary School Nikki Gilreath. .partytd.Republican { She is a registered Democrat, while her husband is a Republican, but said she doesnt vote based on party affiliation. I was in Orange County for 24 years with experiences, and when I look at Polk County I see a family. background-color: #6db24f; Dunn claimed that he is undefeated in managing the campaigns for 25 school board candidates in Texas, candidates he described as Judeo-Christian Republicans. He said he has two colleagues who work with him. 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. All I ever ask for is transparency. In December, thedistrict advertised the positions and received applications from all over the country. table #officeholder-table td { State and local courts | Clark and Sessions each listed payments of $7,500 to Dunn in their campaign expenditures for June. He has not endorsed any other School Board candidates, his office said. RELATED: State Senator Manny Diaz appointed Florida's next education commissioner, "It was almost like a drug, like they couldn't stop using it. Seven candidates are moving forward as semifinalists for the next superintendent of Polk County Public Schools! The groundswell of parents that have been working with the party are demanding major changes in our School Board and feel that the current School Board is completely out of touch with local values, he said. The CFDC seeks to provide updated, reliable information to all our stakeholders in Polk County. 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. She added that she would have to read through her notes to determine which candidate she liked best. I think one of the things that's unfortunate is that we're even having to get into partisanship, Fields said. This is a critical component of executive leadership to ensure that the team works collaboratively toward common goals and objectives.. James Dunns participation in the podcast leads us to believe that he is seeking to mislead and sway voters before the upcoming school board elections. Her board service has been under Superintendents Susan McCue, Bill Miller and Aaron Greene and under the leadership of Ann Whitmire and Geoff Tennant. 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. 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. This is one of the largest fields weve had, said Florida School Boards Association consultant Bill Vogel. My resume is very well-rounded, the main reason Heid thinks he was selected to succeed Jacqueline Byrd, who is retiring. New Superintendent Vows to Keep the School District Moving Forward. They all chose more than one person on the list. There is nothing but opportunity here for us. One finalist went to college in Polk County. The roadmap for the next three to five years will include transparency and accountability, he said. His mother also lives with the family. Are we helping to fulfill that promise? Clicca su Gestisci impostazioni per maggiori informazioni e per gestire le tue scelte. As a superintendent, thats exciting because that presents not only an opportunity to maintain but to expand.. Allegation: Mrs. Sharp was improperly hired by Mr. Heid and does not meet eligibility requirements for the role of Senior Director of Digital Learning and Innovation. Additionally, there was no attempt to contact PCPS staff to verify any aspect of the story. We all want our kids to be reading on grade level. Elections are held on a staggered basis in the November general election. He later served as the chief academic officer for Duval County Public Schools. 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.. Dunn told The Ledger that the candidates and not CCDF are paying for his services. The four candidates have also received donations from leaders of the Winter Haven 9-12 Project, another conservative group. CCDF, formed last year and based in Polk County with chapters in other counties, has 501c4 nonprofit status, meaning it can advocate on political issues but not campaign for specific candidates. The board enlisted the services of the Florida School Boards Association and the Polk County Sheriff's Office to assist with background checks on all PCPS superintendent candidate finalists. I love this community and appreciate the great works thats happened in Polk County over the last several years; really excited to partner with the board to provide a great education to our students for the future, McIntyre said. He has also undergone training in education leadership at Harvard and Yale universities. 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. The district had a yearly average of $280,304,571 in outstanding debt. The district, managed by an appointed superintendent, has a budget of $2.25 billion. He has a hands-on servant leadership style and recognizes the importance of developing a culture of honesty and trust by timely communication with all internal and external stakeholders.. Click here for more information Community Resources Heid has served as superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, since 2014. I think the particular personalities that they havemight mesh better with our current Board, our currentdemographic, our current personality of our county community, Wilson said. 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). Superintendent Search Update: More than 50 Candidates Vying To Be PCPS' Next Leader February 5, 2021 News, Superintendent Search Fifty-two people have applied to become the next PCPS superintendent, and now members of the Citizens Screening Committee will have nearly 1,000 pages of applications to review! Links to additional information for students. Jacqueline M. Byrd was the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools from 2016 to 2021. At Tuesday night's meeting, school board members voted unanimously to keep seven candidates in the running for the position. Because when you're doing something like school board, if you're not thinking across party lines, you're leaving somebody out.. In these politically polarized times, though, the races for the Polk County School Board are increasingly resembling typical partisan elections. The deadline was Jan. 31. I see students, family and staff as my primary obligation. Heid holds a bachelor's in secondary education and a master's in educational leadership from the University of South Florida. I have worked with Superintendent Heid since his hiring and I find him to be a man of integrity with an extraordinarily strong work ethic, and a professional committed to the safety and security of our children, including my own grandchildren. The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules: No Board action shall be taken on requests made during public discussion unless the Board declares the matter to be an emergency in accordance with current law. Superintendent of Schools Read biographical information about the Superintendent. During a private meeting with supporters at an Eagle Lake restaurant in April, the Republican governor blasted unnamed school board members he said were fighting against the values of parents., That has to end this year, DeSantis said. Heid began his career as a teacher in Sarasota. Monday Sept. 13 2021. 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. Sharpless is running for an open seat against Sara Jones. She clearly has my best interest and the districts at heart so we can continue to flourish.. Check out your childs grades, attendance, and more! Are we considering all opinions, concerns? } I would so much rather spend time on implementation and respect people were going to ask to do the work. 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. About a dozen or so people attended the interview sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, while about four dozen people gathered for Thursday evenings meet and greet at the Jim Miles Centerin Highland City. They're making it very partisan, trying to win votes, I think, and just ignore the real issues in our community.. This was something finalist Nakia Towns said she found value in. After Luce withdrew from her race, the party switched its endorsement to Rick Nolte. They're students, and we represent all of them, no matter what their familys party affiliation is., She added: I think the whole situation in our country has really impacted us more than we realize on a local and state level. Polk County School Board members do not oversee the selection of textbooks,though they vote to approve the materials used in schools. I just do the best job I can for as many people as possible in Polk County Public Schools.. Sessions faces incumbent Lisa Miller and another challenger, Dell Quary. Information on identifying and reporting bullying. There are many issues with this post and podcast including: No attempt was made to verify the specifics of a lawsuit discussed in the post, or ascertain its current status. Secondly, the story and podcast allege that Lindsay Sharp was hired improperly by Mr. Heid and that she fails to meet eligibility requirements for the role of PCPS Senior Director of Digital Learning and Innovation. The Ledger asked the Florida Division of Elections whether that might be a violation of state election laws and had not received a determination by Wednesday afternoon. Drake served five years as principal at Livingston High School and will assume his new position on East Texas News - Polk County News - Breakout | East Texas News We want to emphasize that Dunn is a paid campaign consultant and should not be viewed as an impartial observer in this matter. [1][2], The Polk County Public Schools school board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. READ ABOUT POLK SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOK CONTROVERSY: Conservative group trying to ban 16 books from Polk Schools, calling them pornographic, National effort to label schools' library books pornography takes root in Polk County, Polk schools superintendent announces months-long process to review 16 books in question, 'This is not a censorship committee': Polk County's book review committees get their orders, Polk parents, educators speak about book bans as review committees are formed, Polk Schools to return 16 books in question to libraries, opposing group threatens to sue. Learn the measures were taking to operate more efficiently. Byrdssuccessor is scheduled to be selected at the April 27board meeting. Polk County Public Schools narrows superintendent search to 6 candidates: Who are they? 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 [] Honestly, I really hate the two-party system, Jones said. To win the office . The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. Ledger reporter Kimberly C. Moore can be reached atkmoore@theledger.comor 863-802-7514. This blog post and podcast appear to be politically motived and completely lacking in any kind of journalistic integrity. background-color: #fdd007; The Polk County Republican Party is using our children to advance an extreme, right-wing political agenda, Price said in a news release. Board chair Megan Harding also confirmed to FOX 13 she'd be in favor of discussing a possible policy change. 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? Thursday was the second day of two-hour interviews and a district tour for each of the five finalists. 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