Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Polk County Public Schools has created a new resource for parents, employees and members of the public who seek further information about the impact of COVID-19 on their school communities. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, PCPS has created polkschoolsfl.com/covidschoolcommunications. "We know how important it is to communicate with our community and to keep them as informed as possible during these very uncertain times," said Rachel Pleasant, senior...
Gov. Ron DeSantis' recently signed budget includes a multimillion-dollar hit to Polk County Public Schools - and district administrators caution the fiscal future could be even more dire. "The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted unprecedented damage to our state's economy. We are moving forward cautiously, knowing that later this year, or next, we could face major cuts," said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. PCPS will have to pay an additional $9 million this year in required co...
Beginning with the fiscal year that starts July 1, existing Polk County Public Schools employees will have the option of being paid twice monthly. "Our employees told us this was something they wanted. We listened, we collaborated closely with our unions, and working together, we made it happen. I'm very proud we are able to give this option to the hardworking people of PCPS," said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. For as long as most memories serve, PCPS employees have been...
Polk County Public Schools broke ground Dec. 4 on a new high school in fast-growing Davenport. The new school, located adjacent to Davenport School of the Arts, is scheduled to open in August 2021 and will accommodate 2,500 students, providing enrollment relief to nearby Ridge Community and Haines City high schools. It will offer programs in the fine arts, hospitality and hotel management, technology, computer modeling and gaming. At the groundbreaking ceremony,...
Polk County Public Schools and the Polk Education Association have reached tentative salary and contract agreements for the 2019-20 school year. "I am grateful that the district and union were able to work together to stabilize our 2020 calendar year health plan," said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. "This year, a major focus was making sure employee costs for the plan did not rise. We were able to accomplish this. There are no increases to premiums, co-pays or deductibles...
It's a new school year at McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy - and it's also shaping up to be a year like no other. From the school's administrative structure to team-building activities for staff members, from strategies designed to cultivate students' school pride to an outpouring of support from the community, it's clear that positive change is taking place at McLaughlin. "It's a new era," said Principal Sharon Chipman. "We're building a team, a culture, and the...
Step into Steve Warner's office at Eagle Lake Elementary and your eyes will be drawn to the whiteboard, where he's drawn a large, pyramid-shaped illustration. The names of the two Winter Haven-area high schools he serves as Polk County Public Schools' first community liaison director are at the apex, followed by the names of four middle schools and 12 elementary schools. The drawing is more than just a way to help Warner remember school names. It's also a depiction of what he...
Not all of a student's education comes from a teacher. Classrooms are often like melting pots, as children from different backgrounds and experiences learn valuable lessons from each other. In Polk County Public Schools, nearly 76 percent of students with disabilities spend the majority of their day (at least 80 percent of their time in school each day) in the regular education classroom sitting alongside their peers without disabilities, according to the most recent data and...
