} The school board conducted a special work session on Tuesday morning (click here for the video) to discuss and plan upcoming aspects of the search, including community tours for finalists and various in-person and virtual opportunities for the public to meet with them. text-align: center; Download our app, California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Final interviews were conducted to select the next Polk Schools superintendent, The candidates come from varied backgrounds, Board members will make their decision on Tuesday, April 27. The panel will present the seven finalists to the School Board on Tuesday night. A primary election was scheduled for August 23, 2022. I think that leadership from the top is filtering down to local elections. She was previously assistant commissioner for data and research with the Tennessee Department of Education. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Theres no room for second place. Catherine Price, chair of the Polk County Democratic Party, said she has long resisted making endorsements in nonpartisan elections but felt she had no choice in light of the Republicans blatant efforts to inject party issues into the races. Ledger reporter Kimberly C. Moore can be reached atkmoore@theledger.comor 863-802-7514. Promoting freedom, or 'anti-democratic' group? A proposition may also include a vote on a motion to rescind or to amend action previously taken. 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. Links to additional information for students. A volunteer committee of citizens identified these seven candidates as their top recommendations. A district spokesperson said the survey, called a "Thought Exchange," will help board members decide if and when they will hold a workshop to . Finalist Jim McIntyre shared that same view, adding that hes excited about an opportunity to partner with Polk County teachers and school board members. 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. Heid has served as superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, since 2014. Jennifer Cupid-McCoy currently an area superintendent for nearby Orange County Public Schools. background-color: #fdd007; Ron DeSantis. PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - The Pasco County school district began sending out a survey Wednesday to principals, teachers, parents and students asking for feedback regarding the use of cell phones in schools, as district leaders consider banning the devices. Weve invested a lot so far. Border and Towns received the most votes, with 31 apiece. 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. The local School Board has seen some of the same tumult at meetings as many others in Florida. Dunn is a campaign consultant for two local school board candidates; he has been featured by the Lakeland Ledger previously regarding his having been convicted on federal fraud charges. table#officeholder-table th, td {font-size: 10px; }
padding-left: 10px !important; State legislature | See also: Polk County Public Schools elections in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. The school board will announce their decision on Tuesday April 27th. After the interviews, the finalists visited schools to further their conversations with Polk County teachers. In April 2021, Frederick Heid was unanimously selected by the Polk County School Board to become the new superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. ERNST PETERS/ THE LEDGER It is a reality of elections that some citizens scan their ballots and. 1001.395 and 1001.47, F.S., shall be withheld until the conditions are corrected. Neither Mr. Heid nor PCPS was ever contacted regarding these allegations or asked for a response. You want individual candidates, and you want to know what their individual qualities are. Four years is a long time to leave the seat empty, and it's a long time for . Online resources and services for students! Hes learning what the district needs to emphasize to improve, such as graduation rates and reading and math proficiency scores, he said. Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. Previously, hewasexecutive director of exceptional student learning for special needs students, includingduringthe Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Meet the finalists for Polk County Teacher and School-Related Employee of the Year, Polk Superintendent Byrd confirms she's retiring in February, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We will look at what everyone is working on, who is accountable and how things are measured. and district school superintendent, calculated pursuant to ss. .partytd.Gray { School Superintendent Frederick Heid oversaw that process, and School Board members were not directly involved. We are supporting candidates that will put children and their families first and be respectful of all members of our community.. She asserted that Republicans and CCDF are running a coordinated campaign for the conservative candidates. PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - The Pasco County school district began sending out a survey Wednesday to principals, teachers, parents and students asking for feedback regarding the use of cell phones in schools, as district leaders consider banning the devices. The party held a fundraiser in May for the four originally endorsed candidates, charging a minimum contribution of $1,000 per couple. | The vote on the superintendent selection is the final item on the. Opinion: Editorial: All drugs come with risk. RELATED: State Senator Manny Diaz appointed Florida's next education commissioner, "It was almost like a drug, like they couldn't stop using it. The school board went above and beyond the norm when hiring Mr. Heid. Clark, a retired teacher, has received a donation from CCDF Chairman Steve Maxwell. Previously, she was the chief of staff for the Clark County School System in Las Vegas, the nations fifth largest school district. Before Heid stressed the importance of leadership within our schools, he thanked his wife in the room for her support. There are a lot of people involved, and they have a sincere commitment to children. The background check revealed nothing that would preclude her as a candidate. But there are plenty of connections between the group and the self-described conservative candidates. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Against that backdrop, the Polk County Republican Party endorsed four candidates for the School Board in March: Terry Clark, Pamela Luce, Jill Sessions and Justin Sharpless. Sometimes that involves give and take. 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? At Tuesday nights meeting, school board members voted unanimously to keep seven candidates in the running for the position. You don't see House members running on slates, she said. 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. Most importantly for me, its about a family atmosphere, Borders said. Example video title will go here for this video. Polk c $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 163,006 $ 172,829 $ 98,003 $ . Information regarding dress code, Code of Conduct, attendance, and Student Progression Plan. I don't ask staff and students party affiliation. Im incredibly proud of the work we did in District 300, he said. The search has been on for almost a year since Superintendent Jacqueline M. Byrd announced her retirement last spring. For instance: Should they be innovative, civic-minded, energetic? Yahoo fa parte della famiglia di brand di Yahoo. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district. The School Boards vote will come at Tuesday nights meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Jim Miles Center in Highland City. Elections in 2023 | The roadmap for the next three to five years will include transparency and accountability, he said. Crews still searching for cause of several derailed train cars in Bradenton, East Tampa community hears from teens on ways to curb gun violence, 10 Weather: Fog returns overnight, more warmth and sunshine to follow Thursday, Falcon 9 launches Crew-6 from Cape Canaveral. PCPS reviewed this allegation and found that Mr. Heid had no involvement in the hiring of Mrs. Sharp. Polk County Public Schools, like all other districts in Florida, does not teach Critical Race Theory, a college-level study of how racism and discrimination have historically intersected with American legal and government policies. 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. Box 391 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. (Voting is done county-wide, though board members must live in geographic districts for the election.) 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. We have a template that Ive patented internally on how you win elections, Dunn said in the interview. 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 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. Monday Sept. 13 2021. 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. .partytd.Libertarian { Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. That includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019 and is seeking her second term. Conservatives have to win. The local Democratic Party eventually responded by announcing its preferred School Board candidates. Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's Frederick Heid is the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. 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. In Florida, that can cause confusion over votes in school board races. On Tuesday evening, the School Board is expected to vote in favor of hiring one of the following candidates: Harold Border current chief ofOrange CountyHigh Schoolsin Florida; Frederick Heid current superintendent, Community Unit School DistrictinAlgonquin, Illinois; James McIntyre, Jr. assistantprofessor ofpracticeanddirectorof theCenter for Educational Leadershipat theUniversity of TennesseeinKnoxville; Michael Ramirez deputysuperintendent ofDenver Public Schoolsin Colorado; Nakia Towns deputysuperintendentofHamilton CountySchools inChattanooga, Tennessee. The COVID-19 vaccines are no different, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Clarks campaign signs feature the phrase, Educatenot indoctrinate. That reflects a common conservative theme, promoted by DeSantis, that some schools are pushing a liberal ideology on students. @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { Polk County Public Schools narrows superintendent search to 6 candidates: Who are they? We all have to come to a consensus on things. } 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. text-align: center; 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. But he said partisanship in such local races could also scare away some well-qualified candidates. Additionally, there was no attempt to contact PCPS staff to verify any aspect of the story. Finally, Mrs. Sharp met or exceeded all the qualifications for the position. Updated: 5:05 PM EDT April 26, 2021. Price called that practice unethical. 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. There was not then, and there is not now, any iota of evidence implicating him in any unlawful, unprofessional, or unethical behavior. . Mr. Heid was also not listed as a reference, nor was he asked to provide a reference for Mrs. Sharp. State executives | If not, please subscribe and help keep coverage of the most important local news coming. State and local courts | Being an NPA candidate and talking about issues that are currently happening in our school districtis not what is currently going on, Miller said. 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 [] I would so much rather spend time on implementation and respect people were going to ask to do the work. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, sponsored an unsuccessful bill in this years session to make school board races partisan. The community has spoken very loudly and clearly: There is a sincere commitment to see Polk continue to flourish and do well. Fields noted that she won in 2018 though the Polk Republican Party endorsed her opponent, Jennifer Sabin. The Polk County Republican Party is not merely endorsing candidates. His name would not have been presented to the school board if there was any valid question related to his qualifications, integrity, or his care and concern for the safety, educational needs, and wellbeing of children under his care. Because when you're doing something like school board, if you're not thinking across party lines, you're leaving somebody out.. .bptable.gray th { background:#4c4c4c;color:#fff; }, Elections are held on a staggered basis in the November general election.[9]. You have to get the majority so you can affect policy and move the agenda.. No matter how many times you told them, they just couldn't stop," said Legg, adding he instituted the policy at his charter school and saw an immediate difference. 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. 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