Clark, reached by phone, referreda reporter to Dunn, his campaign manager. Are we considering all opinions, concerns? I think one of the things that's unfortunate is that we're even having to get into partisanship, Fields said. 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 the interviews, the finalists visited schools to further their conversations with Polk County teachers. .partytd.Libertarian { text-align: center; PCPS and Mr. Heid have always been open to responding to media and community requests for information and comment. Previously: Five Polk County Public Schools superintendent candidates in town for interviews, More on Polk schools: Polk schools' COVID-19 sick-time policy expires, leaving some employees in limbo. 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. Heid has served as superintendent of the Community Unit School District in Algonquin, Illinois, since 2014. 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 Polk County Republican Party is not merely endorsing candidates. She said she and a group of people have been praying about this decision. "The mental health aspect, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the most important parts," she said. table #officeholder-table td { Sharpless said he does not have a professional campaign manager. He did not respond to further interview requests. 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 [] Frederick Heid was the first to be interviewed on Thursday. Polk County Middle School Jamie Graber. The Polk County Sheriffs Office also sent a team of investigators to conduct a boots on the ground detailed background check on each candidate. 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. and district school superintendent, calculated pursuant to ss. A step-by-step guide for becoming licensed to drive. Polk County school board members asked each candidate questions pertaining to their morals, educational values and methods for problem solving. 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. (Voting is done county-wide, though board members must live in geographic districts for the election.) The school district refutes each of these allegations as outlined below. State and local courts | PCPS refutes this baseless allegation in its entirety. 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. 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.. He points to two areas hes most proud of from his time as superintendent of District 300 in Algonquin, Illinois. 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. CDC relaxes guidelines for wearing masks outdoors, Turnout low as Johnson & Johnson vaccine returns in Florida, Biden to sign $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers, Investigation: Derek Chauvin held a teenager down prone for 17 minutes, Former Bucs, FSU linebacker Geno Hayes dies at 33, Pandemic creates a plethora of mental health jobs, Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. The opportunity to be heard need not occur at the same meeting at which the Board takes official action on the proposition if the opportunity occurs at a meeting that is during the decision-making process and is within reasonable proximity in time before the meeting at which the Board takes the official action. Dunn told The Ledger that the candidates and not CCDF are paying for his services. background-color: #fdd007; And Id love to come here and be part of the Polk county family for years to come.. Puoi cambiare le tue preferenze in qualunque momento nella sezione Le tue impostazioni per la privacy. 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. It was really important to me that we honor the work that they put in.. .partytd.Democratic { A primary election was scheduled for August 23, 2022. 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. Those elections are nonpartisan, with candidates not identified as Democrats or Republicans. Parents and community members, some of them raucous or accusatory, have criticized the board at meetings over mask policies. The school board was not restricted to these seven candidates and could remove or add any of the applicants who applied for the position. Tax County: School School Board: County Circuit Court; Appraiser of Elections; Collector Sheriff; . I really do.. Heid previously held the title of chief academic officer at Duval County Public Schools, bureau chief school improvement at the Florida Department of Education and principal positions at Orange County Public Schools, according to his resume. State legislature | He has not endorsed any other School Board candidates, his office said. The party held a fundraiser in May for the four originally endorsed candidates, charging a minimum contribution of $1,000 per couple. Check out your childs grades, attendance, and more! Click here for more information Community Resources There was a sincerity to innovate and stay focused on student outcomes, honoring the craft of leading and learning. And they are of the opinion that they have to mirror what they're seeing on a national level, and I think it's unfortunate. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Polk County High School Lori Connett. Martin called nonpartisan elections in Florida a failure and suggested that school board candidates should be identified by party. 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.). To provide some context, the post was created by a blogger, David Gornoski, who subsequently featured James Dunn on the podcast. Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter. 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. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk public schools statement on hiring Frederick Heid, Lindsay Sharp, Newly hired Polk County Schools employee is defendant in Illinois lawsuit, Polk public schools statement on hiring Frederick Heid, Lindsay Sharp. 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. One finalist went to college in Polk County. 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. Finalist Jim McIntyre shared that same view, adding that hes excited about an opportunity to partner with Polk County teachers and school board members. That includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019 and is seeking her second term. 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. But there are plenty of connections between the group and the self-described conservative candidates. 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. He holds a bachelors, masters anddoctoratein educational leadership from the University of Central Florida. 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. Im a planner.. Board Policies View and search School Board of Polk County bylaws and policies. The contract terms include astart dateofJuly 1, 2021,with a transition period beginning in May. I think it creates more problems than it solves. Information on how to become an approved volunteer and other ways to support Polk County Public Schools. PUBLISHED 5:47 PM ET Apr. The content of the story fails to meet any professional or ethical standards for journalism. But the Republican Party sees me as I'm the conservative choice in this election. Alison Crumbley, the school board's vice chair, said she's open to discussing a policy change. In November, FSBA held a series of meetings with the public to determine the qualities they wanted. Dati relativi al dispositivo e alla connessione a Internet, come l'indirizzo IP, Attivit di navigazione e di ricerca durante l'utilizzo dei siti web e delle app di Yahoo. Sharpless, a professor at Warner University, has reported a contribution from Kevin Respress, a CCDF board member. "As parents of a student, one of the things I like about Polk is the variety provided," especially academies, he said. 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. 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. @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { We will look at what everyone is working on, who is accountable and how things are measured. Polk County School Board elections:Campaign manager for 3 conservative Polk School Board candidates served prison time in Texas, Text message campaign:Texts falsely claimPolk School Board member is under criminal inquiry, Florida Gov. 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. 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. Ankeny is located in Polk County. Fields noted that she won in 2018 though the Polk Republican Party endorsed her opponent, Jennifer Sabin. 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. 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. And to accomplish all of that in the short time we did says a lot about the willingness and sincerity of the people there., School Board Chairwoman Lori Cunningham said Heid brings the leadership characteristics and experiences necessary to take Polk County Public Schools to the next level. Kathryn LeRoy was the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools from 2013 to 2016. Thursday was the second day of two-hour interviews and a district tour for each of the five. Before Heid stressed the importance of leadership within our schools, he thanked his wife in the room for her support. DeSantis also recently released endorsements for 10 candidates in school board races none from Polk County. Were at a period of time in our country where we have to take control, assert control. Reicks, part of the "Iowa Mama Bear" duo who . Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Kathryn LeRoy was the superintendent of Polk County Public Schools from 2013 to 2016. 100% remote. 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. 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. Learn the measures were taking to operate more efficiently. Read the entire story: Newly hired Polk County Schools employee is defendant in Illinois lawsuit. He has also undergone training in education leadership at Harvard and Yale universities. Four years is a long time to leave the seat empty, and it's a long time for . All I ever ask for is transparency. This is one of the largest fields weve had, said Florida School Boards Association consultant Bill Vogel. . 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. Id rather be proactive, not reactive. You don't see county commissioners running on slates. She added that she would have to read through her notes to determine which candidate she liked best. 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. That dynamic is not unique to Polk County, said Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. 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. She clearly has my best interest and the districts at heart so we can continue to flourish.. Learn about how to get $$$ for your education. Previously, hewasexecutive director of exceptional student learning for special needs students, includingduringthe Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Some might be discouraged if it just becomes a more overtly partisan position.. Neither report revealed anything of concern. Seven candidates are moving forward as semifinalists for the next superintendent of Polk County Public Schools! Fields was first elected in 2002 and is pursuing a sixth term. If you're already a subscriber, thank you! 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. School districts | The community has spoken very loudly and clearly: There is a sincere commitment to see Polk continue to flourish and do well. 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. U.S. Congress | 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. 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