Learn about the ways were safeguarding our students and schools. Board members are elected to specific geographical districts in at-large elections. Im a graduate of South Eastern University where I developed my passion for education, finalist Michael Ramirez said. } The search had been narrowed down to five ahead of Tuesday's vote. He was a principal andassistant principalin Orange County and a teacher in Sarasota. Superintendent: Mr. Aaron Greene. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. The School Boards vote will come at Tuesday nights meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Jim Miles Center in Highland City. Before Heid stressed the importance of leadership within our schools, he thanked his wife in the room for her support. 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. .partytd.Republican { color: white; Be in Good Company with top employers moving or expanding their business in Central Florida. The search for Polk County Public Schools' next superintendent . School board elections. The panel then approvedaddingtwo more people to the list: Michael Ramirez currently deputy superintendent of schoolsof Denver Public Schools. 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. Clark, a retired teacher, has received a donation from CCDF Chairman Steve Maxwell. Heid was appointed superintendent on July 1, 2021. People of all political parties have children in our schools. In headlines on the profiles, it labels Sessions and Sharpless as conservative Republican candidates. Parents and community members, some of them raucous or accusatory, have criticized the board at meetings over mask policies. Heid has been working with Byrd in Polk County during the transition. Additionally, a full background check was performed in accordance with state statute/school code. And so, yeah, that might discourage people. Keep checking the super search page for the latest news and developments. Mr. Heid was also not listed as a reference, nor was he asked to provide a reference for Mrs. Sharp. This comes after John Legg, a candidate for Pasco Schools superintendent and co-founder of Dayspring Academy charter school, urged the school board to consider banning cell phones at all times during the school day. He has served as Superintendent of the McDowell County Schools for 9 years. The content of the story fails to meet any professional or ethical standards for journalism. 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. Learn about the history of Polk County Public Schools and the mission that is guiding it into the future. This policy does not prohibit the Board from maintaining orderly conduct or proper decorum in a public meeting. 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). Become an InvestorJoin us in shaping the future of Polk County. Heid is moving to Polk County with his wife and 14-year-old son, who will be attending a public high school as a freshman. He holds a bachelorsdegree insecondary education and a masters in educational leadershipfrom the University of South Florida, and is working on adoctoratein leadership in education administrationat Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois. "There have been some situations where some pranks, so to speak, have been pulled during class time or during passing times in the schools and, talk about disruption, the school has to stop, potentially [go on] lock down.". 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 [] The four candidates have also received donations from leaders of the Winter Haven 9-12 Project, another conservative group. Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. Were going to make sure were going to be able to support the candidates who are going to be reflective of our values.. Miller and Fortney said they do not have paid campaign managers. Im incredibly proud of the work we did in District 300, he said. text-align: center; How do I further the culture so we have trust, mutual respect and a collaborative atmosphere?, The most important thing Heid learned as superintendent of District 300 is you have to continue to maintain a focus on the opportunities to improve, understanding it takes a lot to get there, he said. Polk County Schools Kelly Welsh (Tryon Elementary) Polk Central Elementary School Nikki Gilreath. Previously, hewasexecutive director of exceptional student learning for special needs students, includingduringthe Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Thats everyone not just the district, but school leaders, the union.. Click on the names of the semifinalists below to read their applications and find out more about them. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Local Republican groups, such as the Faith Based Republican Club of West Polk, have scheduled campaign forums that include only the candidates the party has endorsed. 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. To win the office . Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's Frederick Heid is the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. In February 2016, she was sworn in as superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. After that, he moved to Orange County to serve as an assistant principal, then principal. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. We want to emphasize that Dunn is a paid campaign consultant and should not be viewed as an impartial observer in this matter. Wilson said they are looking for someone with financial experience, who can lobby Tallahassee for more funding and find areas in thedistrictsnearly $2 budget where money could be better spent. Its salary ranges from $215,000 to $275,000, plus competitive benefits. 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. I trust him. Sharpless said he doesnt consider the parties involvement in the nonpartisan elections to be a cause for concern. Seven candidates are moving forward as semifinalists for the next superintendent of Polk County Public Schools! The background check revealed nothing that would preclude her as a candidate. Previously, she was the chief of staff for the Clark County School System in Las Vegas, the nations fifth largest school district. 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. After Luce withdrew . I would so much rather spend time on implementation and respect people were going to ask to do the work. 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. .bptable.gray th { background:#4c4c4c;color:#fff; }, Elections are held on a staggered basis in the November general election.[9]. In addition he has been a teacher and an admissions-financial aid counselor at Canisius College. Polk County Middle School Jamie Graber. We have to fulfill that expectation. He, too, was a teacher at Booker Middle School in Sarasota, Florida. 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.. [1][2], The Polk County Public Schools school board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. My resume is very well-rounded, the main reason Heid thinks he was selected to succeed Jacqueline Byrd, who is retiring. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. Jones, a Lake Wales resident, is making her first run for office in District 6 after Lynn Wilson decided not to seek re-election. } Jewett, the UCF professor, said an argument could be made that school boards are political entities and that voters should know the party affiliations of candidates. 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. 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.. Ballotpedia features 395,443 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. His mother also lives with the family. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. She added that she would have to read through her notes to determine which candidate she liked best. The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. 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 opportunity to engage and champion our students to rejoin this amazing community and lead this school district as your next superintendent of schools., The school board will decide on Tuesday April 27th who will be Polk County Public Schools next superintendent. But the Republican Party sees me as I'm the conservative choice in this election. This is a critical component of executive leadership to ensure that the team works collaboratively toward common goals and objectives.. background-color: #003388; They all chose more than one person on the list. 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. Polk County Public Schools offers many programs for qualified, high-achieving students. Information for vendors and potential business partners, including purchasing and construction bids. 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. He later served as the chief academic officer for Duval County Public Schools. Fields said her husband, former Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, manages her campaign. She points to studies that have shown children often experience mental health problems stemming from overusing their smartphones and social media. Because when I look at a student, I don't see a student being a Republican or Democrat. 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. Judd chose four out of the top five candidates without comment. PCPS refutes this baseless allegation in its entirety. Shes been very gracious, allowing me to meet with staff so I can hit the ground running. Today ends the search for Polk Co.s superintendent. I'm running my own race, he said. Ron DeSantis. She said she and a group of people have been praying about this decision. Kimberly Reicks, a well-known Iowa right-wing activist and Gov. Frederick Heid was the first to be interviewed on Thursday. Who is the CCDF? Board members on Tuesday voted unanimously to select Fred Heid, the superintendent at the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, as the district's next leader. 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. They are: Harold Bordercurrentlychief of high schools for nearby Orange County Public Schoolsand previously an area superintendentand principal, assistant principal and teacherthere. Race and math shouldn't have anything to do with each other.. An announcement said that Fields requested no direct endorsement but called her the better of the two candidates in her race.. padding-right: 10px !important; 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. Hickman has also been a principal, school special education liaison, counselor and teacher in Norfolk, and a mental health technician for Norfolk Community Hospital in Virginia. J.C. Martin, chair of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, was in attendance at that informal gathering. Board Meetings Access board meeting calendar, agendas and minutes. But there are plenty of connections between the group and the self-described conservative candidates. Want more local news? Goal #1 His plan starts at the end: Developing a portrait of a graduate. DeSantis campaign has issued an Education Pledge, with a blueprint for school board candidates. Asked about CCDF, Dunn described it as an organization that seeks to have a positive impact on our community and said Clark welcomed its support. The district retired $14,543,000 of its debt and issued $29,241,238 in new debt each year on average.[12]. The local School Board has seen some of the same tumult at meetings as many others in Florida. Most importantly for me, its about a family atmosphere, Borders said. Are we considering all opinions, concerns? People have the right to support the candidate that best aligns with what they feel is best for them, she said by text message when asked about partisanship. From a parents perspective, do kids get quality educational opportunities? @media only screen and (min-width: 600px) { Mr. Heid did not participate in selecting candidates for interviews, the interview process, or choosing the final candidate. Most importantly for me, its about a family atmosphere, Borders said. School vote., has received a donation from CCDF Chairman Steve Maxwell that might discourage people Mayor Gow fields manages! Moving or expanding their business in Central Florida to be a cause for concern check nothing. The future Access board meeting calendar, agendas and minutes be a cause concern! 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