Newsletter: August 2025

Superintendent’s Message

Welcome to the start of a new school year!

The first day of school for students is Monday, Aug. 11.

As we prepare to open our doors for another year of learning, growth, and opportunity, I want to take a moment to share how excited and grateful I am to begin this journey alongside each of you.

To our incredible staff – thank you for your continued commitment to our students and families. Your hard work, passion, and dedication are the heart of Polk County Public Schools. Whether you're delivering students to the front door, teaching in the classroom, supporting operations, or leading behind the scenes –your role is essential, and you are deeply appreciated.

To our families – thank you for your partnership and trust. Your involvement in your child’s education is key to their success, and we are committed to working closely with you every step of the way. Together, we can create an environment where all students feel supported, encouraged, and empowered to reach their full potential.

This school year, we remain focused on creating safe, engaging, and inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of every student. We’ll continue to build on the progress we’ve made while embracing new opportunities to grow stronger together.

Let’s make this year one filled with purpose, positivity, and possibilities. Here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!

Sincerely,

Frederick Heid
Superintendent

• 8,962 Polk County students earned industry certifications this school year across multiple industries and disciplines, marking the largest increase the school district ever had with 3,279 additional certifications.
• The Sleepy Hill Middle Engineering program shone brightly at the National SkillsUSA conference, securing two gold medals in Additive Manufacturing and a silver medal in Prepared Public Speaking.
• Lake Gibson High School's FFA achieved remarkable recognition at the Florida FFA State Convention in June, securing first place in the state for the citrus evaluation career development event.
• Winter Haven High School proudly had five students attend the National TSA Conference in Nashville, where they earned top national honors in the On Demand Video competition.
• The PCPS Books Bridge Bus was on a roll this summer—literally! Cruising through Camp Early Bird and community stops, it delivered over 8,400 books to curious young minds ready to dive into epic stories and wild adventures.
• Polk County Public Schools offered multiple learning opportunities to put “Students First,” year-round. 5,794 students, Pre-K through high school, participated in an extensive choice of programs that were offered to increase literacy and math skills, provide credit recovery, extend ESE, Migrant, ELL and STEM opportunities and transition our youngest learners to kindergarten.
• Traviss Technical College in Lakeland launched a new program called Control Tower Operator to tackle the air traffic controller shortage.
• A new program called the STEEL program will soon be launched at Ridge Technical College. This initiative is specifically designed for adult students with intellectual disabilities and is funded by a grant from the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities.
• Citrus Ridge had students make the Regional State Elementary ensembles and Davenport SOTA and Scott Lake had students make an All-State Ensemble.

At Polk County Public Schools, we know that it takes a team of dedicated professionals—both in and out of the classroom—to support the success of our students and staff each day. From transportation to technology, from food services to facilities, and everything in between, every department plays a vital role in making our district run smoothly.

Starting this month, we’re excited to launch a new initiative to highlight and recognize several schools and departments each month, celebrating the important work they do behind the scenes. These features will help shine a light on the people and teams who work tirelessly to support our schools, often without the spotlight.

Through this effort, we hope to not only show our appreciation, but also help everyone better understand how each school and department contributes to the success of our students and the strength of our school community. Be on the lookout for our monthly highlights, and please join us in recognizing and celebrating these amazing schools and department teams!

Students enjoy a field
trip to the Sun ‘n Fun
Aerospace Expo

Lake Marion Creek Middle

Lake Marion Creek Middle has experienced steady growth in academic achievement over the past three years, as reflected in rising state test scores. This success stems from our commitment to recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators who foster excellence in every classroom. The implementation of expanded extracurricular sports has enhanced student engagement and built essential life skills. Together, these efforts have created a vibrant learning environment where students thrive academically and socially.

Academic Night brought parents and students together for hands-on
activities.

Palmetto Elementary

Palmetto Elementary is committed to building strong connections with families and the community through family dances, movie nights, academic events, and meaningful partnerships with local stakeholders. Students have access to a wide range of opportunities—from academic support during and after school to engaging in sports, clubs, and enrichment activities that help them grow both in and out of the classroom. The school celebrates student success each quarter with Renaissance Celebrations recognizing academics, behavior, and attendance. Recent data shows significant gains in reading achievement in all subgroups and a notable increase in science proficiency. Palmetto Elementary has maintained a “C” grade for two years but is focused on earning a “B” grade next year!

More than 700 seniors
graduated in Haines City
High’s Class of 2025.

Haines City Senior High

Haines City Senior High is home to more than 3,200 students, and proudly celebrates two seniors from the Class of 2025 who became National Merit Scholars. More than 700 seniors graduated in May. Students earned $1.4 million in scholarships in the 2024-2025 school year. Student academic achievement continues to grow with Haines City Senior High increasing its overall score by 62 points, improving in 7 of 10 areas. English language arts (ELA) and social studies achievement reached all-time highs, with science at its highest in 7 years. The school earned its highest total points since 2014, just 3 percentage points from a B grade.

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Lake Gibson High took part in the PCPS districtwide job fair, which attracted over 500 prospective teachers.

Human Resources Department

Hiring highly qualified educators to serve PCPS students is the top priority of Human Resources. Since February, the Recruitment and Engagement team has communicated with more than 2,350 individuals who expressed interest in teaching. This is through the combined efforts of job fairs, online postings, emails, texts, webinars, and more! The team held seven job fairs with an average of 100 registered participants. Additionally, the team hosts monthly webinars called Destination Education, where individuals interested in teaching can obtain information on becoming a certified teacher. All these efforts have resulted in the hiring of more than 620 individuals for the 2025-2026 school year!

Bus Drivers with perfect attendance were selected to receive a new bus gather for a group photo during the PCPS Transportation Annual In-Service event at Davenport High, Thursday, July 31, in Davenport, Florida.

Transportation Department

The Transportation team is committed to ensuring that students arrive at school safely each day. This objective is achieved through the dedication of drivers, attendants, technicians, routers, parts specialists, dispatchers, safety analysts, and area managers. Bus drivers are the first PCPS staff members that many students see each day, and they know a friendly smile and welcome can set the tone for the rest of the day. Each school year, the department transports approximately 48,000 students daily, covering approximately 60,000 miles daily – or the equivalent of circling the equator more than twice a day! Safety remains the department’s highest priority with special care taken to replace aging vehicles fleet and provide students and staff with safer and more reliable vehicles.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office welcomed a group of new PCPS school safety guardians for 2025-26.

Office of Safe Schools

For over a decade, experienced deputies of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have been responsible for overseeing all matters related to school safety and security. In 2018, PCPS garnered national attention for becoming one of the first districts to launch a school safety guardian program. Developed in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, the guardian program ensures every campus has either an armed school district employee or law enforcement officer on site. Last school year, the Safe Stop program was launched to stop motorists from illegally passing school buses with extended stop arms.

Palmetto Elementary student Josiah Cornelio earned Level 5 scores in Reading, Math, and Science on the end of year state assessments. He was awarded the prestigious Fancelli Family Future Leaders Scholarship!

Zayda Martin from Harrison School for the Arts was the winner of the Best Lead Female Performer at the Broadway Star of the Future Awards through the Straz Center in Tampa.

Lt. Tracy Smith is retiring after nearly 27 years with PCSO and 11 of those years were spent protecting students in the Office of Safe Schools. Thanks for your service!

After a 40-year career, Imelda Tice, a nationally recognized mathematics educator at Haines City Senior High, has retired. Best of luck and thanks for shaping young minds and inspiring generations!

Anderline Paul, an outstanding student at Lake Marion Creek Middle, demonstrates hard work, kindness, and unwavering dedication to her education and inspires her peers. Her perseverance and quiet leadership set a powerful example for her peers and reflects the strength of her character.

The first day of school for students is Monday, Aug. 11.

The 2025-26 Back-to-School Guide is available at polkschoolsfl.com/backtoschool.

The 2025-26 school calendar is available at polkschoolsfl.com/calendars.

Early dismissal for students will take place Friday, Aug. 29.

No school for students on Monday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day).

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