New Superintendent Invites Public To Community Conversations

POLK COUNTY, FL — Polk County Public Schools new Superintendent, Frederick Heid, wants to hear from locals through an outreach tour that will begin September, according to a news release.

“I am looking forward to making stops throughout Polk County and talking with all of our stakeholders,” Heid said. “We will have candid discussions and look for ways to improve our school system. We need the community’s feedback to determine the qualities, characteristics, training and skills that we expect in our graduates. Together, we will develop a strategic plan to better serve our students and give them the best educational experience possible.”

Heid was chosen to become the district's superintendent in April, and he was sworn in by the board earlier this week at the school board meeting location, Jim Miles Professional Development Center, 4270 Wallace Road, Lakeland.

At Tuesday's meeting, he heard from parents that voiced concerns about protecting students from the coronavirus, vaccine issues and a couple of community leaders encouraged others to show him support as his predecessor was not shown a lot of local support.

The Superintendent’s community conversations are being organized by Polk Vision and the school district’s Department of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships.

“We know people have busy schedules, so these forums will take place at 6 p.m. at various locations throughout Polk County to make them more accessible and convenient,” Kim Long, executive director of Polk Vision, said. “We also have a virtual forum that will be broadcast live on Facebook for anyone who isn’t able to attend our in-person options. We greatly appreciate all of the businesses, nonprofits and government agencies who are making their facilities available for these community conversations.”

He now oversees one of Florida’s largest school districts, serving more than 106,000 students and approximately 14,000 employees.

Superintendent’s Community Conversations Schedule:

All forums begin at 6 p.m.

Sept. 14: Bartow Civic Center — 2250 S. Floral Ave., Bartow

Sept. 15: Auburndale Civic Center — 115 W Park St., Auburndale

Sept. 16: AdventHealth Fieldhouse — 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven

Sept. 20: Presbyterian Church in the Highlands — 1010 Lake Miriam Drive, Lakeland

Sept. 21: Lake Eva Event Center — 799 Johns Ave., Haines City

Sept. 23: Dream Center of Lakeland — 635 W. 5th St., Lakeland

Sept. 27: Virtual Forum — (broadcast live on Facebook (www.facebook.com/polkcountypublicschools)