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. Previously, hewasexecutive director of exceptional student learning for special needs students, includingduringthe Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. 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. 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. We want to emphasize that Dunn is a paid campaign consultant and should not be viewed as an impartial observer in this matter. 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. Sharpless said he will take part in forums that include candidates not endorsed by the Republican Party. 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. 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. .partytd.Gray { We may have to meet and agree to disagree. It should not be confused with caving. He then served as bureau chief for School Improvement and lead for the states Differentiated Accountability (DA) project, often helping low-performing schools. Updated: 6:20 PM EDT March 29, 2021 BARTOW, Fla. It comes down to six. Like, were not talking about issues in our district. Kim Reynolds' former unofficial education policy advisor, has filed a bizarre lawsuit against the Ankeny School District in the "Kimberly Reicks Court" and seeks $87,035,000 in damages, according to the documents filed in Mahaska County. 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. Fortney, a longtime teacher, is running for a second term in District 3. To win the office . Those elections are nonpartisan, with candidates not identified as Democrats or Republicans. My resume is very well-rounded, the main reason Heid thinks he was selected to succeed Jacqueline Byrd, who is retiring. But the Republican Party sees me as I'm the conservative choice in this election. Teachers: Polk teachers see a pay bump, but no raise for paraeducators or school staff, We believe we need a righteous leader someone who knows how to access the wisdom of God and will submit to that, Wilson said. I was in Orange County for 24 years with experiences, and when I look at Polk County I see a family. Are we helping to fulfill that promise? Learn about the wide variety of school options Polk County Public Schools offers for students of all ages. Breaking news and weather alerts:Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app, Stay In the Know! 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. For example, Noltes daughter-in-law, Nicole Nolte, is the groups communications director. You want individual candidates, and you want to know what their individual qualities are. The consensus of the board was to move forward with the seven candidates that were presented to us by the Citizens Screening Committee, said Cunningham. I'm not coordinating any kind of message with any other candidates. The four candidates have also received donations from leaders of the Winter Haven 9-12 Project, another conservative group. color: white; The district, managed by an appointed superintendent, has a budget of $2.25 billion. Polk County School Board members do not oversee the selection of textbooks,though they vote to approve the materials used in schools. 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. 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. Updated: 5:05 PM EDT April 26, 2021. Fred Heid serves as the superintendent at the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, and earlier was a teacher in Sarasota. Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. 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. 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. The contract terms include astart dateofJuly 1, 2021,with a transition period beginning in May. As a superintendent, thats exciting because that presents not only an opportunity to maintain but to expand.. Ledger reporter Kimberly C. Moore can be reached at kmoore@theledger.com or 863-802-7514. Reicks, part of the "Iowa Mama Bear" duo who . Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment in 1998 establishing that school board elections would be nonpartisan. 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. Per maggiori informazioni sulle modalit di utilizzo dei dati, consulta la nostra Informativa sulla privacy e lInformativa sui cookie. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. A step-by-step guide for becoming licensed to drive. You cant merely just be one or two of your kind, of conservatives or Christians, on a board. Shes been very gracious, allowing me to meet with staff so I can hit the ground running. School Superintendent Frederick Heid oversaw that process, and School Board members were not directly involved. 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. Steps for getting your child started at Polk County Public Schools. Learn more, including how you can get involved! And though the party is promoting him and three other candidates collectively, Sharpless said he is not running as part of a package. Ballot measures, Who represents me? The search for Polk County Public Schools' next superintendent . The semifinalists will be asked to submit written/video responses to a series of questions. I am driven by students, without excuses, without barriers. The contractwould be for three years,with a salary range of $215,000to$275,000,plus competitive benefits. The district retired $14,543,000 of its debt and issued $29,241,238 in new debt each year on average.[12]. Bartow, FL 33831 "I believe continuity on the board is critical at this time," she says. Id rather be proactive, not reactive. } I would so much rather spend time on implementation and respect people were going to ask to do the work. Frederick Heid was selected from among five candidates during a school board meeting Tuesday night. Board chair Megan Harding also confirmed to FOX 13 she'd be in favor of discussing a possible policy change. Ankeny is located in Polk County. Theres no room for second place. She put together a comprehensive transition notebook for me, talking about every detail of the district. Sharpless said he doesnt consider the parties involvement in the nonpartisan elections to be a cause for concern. When candidates werent being interviewedWednesday and Thursday, they were being driven around thesprawling county to see school sites, other popular spots everything fromfromLake Mirror to LEGOLAND along with booming areas like Davenport, which has two new school buildings going up. The Polk County Republican Party is not merely endorsing candidates. [11], From 1993 to 2013, the Polk County school district had an average of $673,190,857 in revenue and $686,407,476 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. 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. Additionally, there was no attempt to contact PCPS staff to verify any aspect of the story. The local School Board has seen some of the same tumult at meetings as many others in Florida. .partytd.Democratic { "The mental health aspect, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the most important parts," she said. She was previously assistant commissioner for data and research with the Tennessee Department of Education. Insights into Polk County's demographic & market data, target sectors, and top employers. Martin called nonpartisan elections in Florida a failure and suggested that school board candidates should be identified by party. 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. How to vote | We have a template that Ive patented internally on how you win elections, Dunn said in the interview. Cunningham said her next goal for Heid is to launch a Strategic Planning Retreat to set goals that are measurable and aligned with resources and accountability. Superintendent of Schools Read biographical information about the Superintendent. Byrdssuccessor is scheduled to be selected at the April 27board meeting. Traditionally, people who were seeking to get involved were just volunteers, parents, teachers, who were interested in trying to improve education and provide more opportunities for the young people in their district. Library Media Services offers a number of services and programs to aid students, school library staff, teachers, faculty, district office staff and members of the community. Their responses will be posted to the super search page. 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? You don't see county commissioners running on slates. Frederick Heid currently Superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois. Candidates, and school board members were not talking about issues in our district 'm the choice! That matter to you respect people were going to ask to do work! Semifinalists will be posted to the super search page succeed Jacqueline Byrd who! Agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency emphasize that Dunn is paid! 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