Polk County School Board

Allen: Giving parents confidence that the educational pathways and options their students are exposed to through Polk County Public Schools provides the rigor to prepare them for a successful future. Secondly, retaining high quality instructional staff. Thirdly, Improving student behavior in our schools is crucial and requires ongoing attention.

Brandt: 1) Staff pay, support, and overall happiness
2) Making our schools more accepting, accessible, and inclusive (which includes keeping dangerous political and religious ideologies out of classrooms)
3) Truly being a public servant by being available and actively soliciting conversations with constituents so that I can truly represent the needs of the people of Polk County and not just make decisions that I feel are best.

Allen: As a proud graduate of Polk County Public Schools, I have a deep-rooted passion for our educational system and I believe it should be one of the strongest pillars of hope within our community. My values/initiatives continue to shape how I govern as a school board member. These ideals include student success, access to choices, and building strong community partnerships. These values and initiatives have shaped my journey in education and continue to guide how I govern as a school board member.

Brandt: I want to be a true representative of the community who listens to, learns from, and works with the people of Polk County to make our school system a more positive, accepting, inclusive, and accessible place to learn and work. I want to inspire citizens to get involved and be passionate about the things that are important to them, especially those citizens who have previously been made to feel unwanted or as if their voice doesn’t matter.

Allen: The district had a long-standing policy that allows the community to challenge the educational suitability of books in school libraries. This policy has adjusted to align with state statutes. While I am mostly satisfied with the district’s current process, I am committed to refining it to ensure it is transparent, fair, and consistently applied. We must balance diverse viewpoints of our community while upholding the educational integrity of our school libraries within the framework of the law.

Brandt: I think that, as long as a book is age-appropriate (vocabulary, subject understandability, etc.), it should not be removed from any school. If a parent wishes to restrict their child’s access to a book, that should be handled on an individual basis and the system for handling it should be simple and straightforward. My choice to allow or not allow my child to read a book should have no effect on another parent’s child.

Allen: Improving teacher retention rates requires a multi-tiered approach which is embedded in our overall strategic plan of developing great teachers and leaders. To improve overall retention, we must continue to offer competitive salaries, provide strong support for new teachers, and ensure a positive working environment. While PCPS’s veteran teacher retention rates exceed the national average, we need to work on improving retention rates for new teachers to compete with the national average.

Brandt: Pay needs to increase (starting pay and the annual increase should at least match inflation rates), administration needs to support teachers, and Tallahassee needs to let teachers use the resources and methods that are best for them and their students.

Allen: If voters approve this constitutional change, my hopes are that we see broader community discussion about education and greater accountability for candidates. First, I believe student outcomes are nonpartisan and moving to partisan elections may distract from education-related matters. Secondly, I believe in working collaboratively with all stakeholders, regardless of political affiliation, to achieve the best outcomes for our schools.

Brandt: Party politics have no place in public education. If school board races became partisan, it would be catering to voters who don’t take the time to look up individual candidates and, instead, vote simply based on a letter by someone’s name. I would be hesitant to accept an outright endorsement from a political party, as it would give the appearance of partisanship in a nonpartisan race.

Keyes: My top goals are equal access to educational opportunities across the county (parental choice), continue to provide a safe environment for all students (safe schools), and to ensure fiscal accountability and transparency.

Wright: Student Success: Improve graduation rates and provide resources to help all students excel academically and prepare for college or careers.
Support for Educators: Advocate for competitive salaries, professional development, and a supportive work environment to retain and attract talented educators.
Community Engagement: Foster strong community connections, especially in rapidly growing areas, ensuring all voices are heard and reflected in our school policies.

Keyes: I am running to ensure that every student in Polk County Public Schools has the same opportunity to receive a quality education. As a parent of two children in Polk County Public Schools I have seen firsthand the need to increase access to a larger variety of educational programs.

Wright: I’m running for office to ensure every student in Polk County has access to quality education and the resources they need to succeed. As a former district employee and the son of a teacher, I understand the challenges educators face and want to advocate for competitive salaries and support. With our district’s rapid growth, I’m committed to enhancing community engagement and ensuring all voices are heard, especially in areas with high Hispanic populations, to build a stronger school system.

Keyes: The process of contesting books is long and drawn out, but still one of the better processes in the state. The key lies in fixing the technology already in place to give the parents the option to choose which material their student is able to consume.

Wright: I am not happy with the current process for handling contested books. I would like to see the district lean more on our trained school librarians, who are skilled in maintaining effective libraries. Their expertise should play a central role in reviewing contested materials, ensuring decisions are informed and balanced while enhancing the overall quality of our library resources.

Keyes: We need to do a better job of telling our story and why Polk County is a great place to work/live. By offering competitive pay and benefits we seek to attract the best educators. This also involves looking at salary compression for veteran teachers and finding avenues to increase compensation for them. The shortage of qualified educators should be addressed at the post-secondary level, as fewer individuals are seeking careers in education.

Wright: To address teacher vacancies, the district should collaborate to identify areas where competitive salaries can be offered and improve current recruitment methods. Evaluating and refining recruitment processes can attract more candidates, while working to enhance salary structures and benefits can help retain existing staff. A strategic approach to both compensation and recruitment will support a more effective and sustainable solution to the teacher shortage.

Keyes: Students are taught early on that Red and Blue are primary colors. Politics should have little or no influence when determining policy that should be intended to keep students safe and provide a quality education. I do however believe candidates should be fully transparent.

Wright: Yes, school board races should remain nonpartisan to keep the focus on students and education rather than party politics. My goal is to serve all students, families, and educators fairly, without being influenced by partisan agendas. While I value broad community support, I would carefully consider any endorsements to ensure they align with the nonpartisan nature and educational focus of the position.

Ricks: My top three priorities focus on the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Rights: Advocate for the 15% of students with learning disabilities and the 15% who are ESOL learners, ensuring they receive needed support.
Resources: Provide resources for students and teachers, with 30,000 to 50,000 new families moving to Polk County annually.
Results: Improve reading proficiency (60% of 10th graders fall short) and attendance (over 50% missed 10+ days). Implementing strategies to enhance outcomes.

Wyatt: Destination Schools – Every school should be a school that people want to choose for their child. Every student in every zip code deserves the opportunity to go to a school with strong programs, academic rigor and success

School Based Budgeting – Recognizing that every school community has different needs, transitioning to giving our schools the ability to use their resources to best support their student population.

Diplomas – Graduation should indicate students are truly prepared for life.

Ricks: I am running for the Polk County School Board to ensure we don’t fail our children and future generations. As a mother of two young children, I want the best for them and all students. With 23 years of experience, I will focus on the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic. I will advocate for students with learning disabilities and ESOL needs, ensure efficient resource use, and boost achievement and attendance. All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

Wyatt: When I ran in 2016, I was 23 years old, working with students daily and kept running into red tape. At that time, my primary goal was to bring students into the conversation and to make sure every decision centered around what was best for kids. Eight years later, I am proud of the strides we have made academically, with district cultural and to make students and families a bigger part of the conversation, but there is still work to be done.

Ricks: I am not fully satisfied with the current procedures for handling contested books in Polk County Public Schools. I believe there should be a more transparent and inclusive process that involves parents, teachers, and community members in the decision-making. I would seek to establish a clear, consistent policy that includes:

Transparent Review Process: Ensure all stakeholders understand the criteria and process for challenging and reviewing books.

Wyatt: Our book challenge process has been in place for decades and updated multiple times over the last year to remain in line with new state law. Superintendent Heid has been called to Tallahassee to testify on our process and it has been used as a model for districts across the state. Florida has led the way in parental choice. In Polk County, we adopted an opt-out process for our libraries, where every parent/guardian has the option to opt their child out of any or all materials, as they see fit.

Ricks: I am not fully satisfied with the current procedures for handling contested books in Polk County Public Schools. We need to focus on the educational value of the material. I propose:

• Clear Criteria: Prioritize educational value in guidelines.
• Inclusive Committees: Involve parents, teachers, and community members in reviews.
• Transparent Communication: Keep the community informed about decisions.

These changes will balance educational freedom with community values.

Wyatt: PCPS currently outpaces the nation with an 88% retention rate, but that is still not where we want to be. While we are working to increase salaries, we also must continue to keep our high quality benefits, such as the zero-premium health insurance for all employees. We also need to do a better job of advertising the value of our benefits. We hear stories of teachers leaving for higher salaries in neighboring counties every year, only to return when they realize their take home pay is less.

Ricks: Yes, I believe School Board races should remain nonpartisan to focus on the best interests of students and education. In theory, staying nonpartisan sounds good, but voters want to know about the whole person. I would accept an endorsement from a political party, as it reflects basic values and a worldview that align with my own. Voters should understand my educational philosophy and where I stand on key issues, and such endorsements help communicate that alignment.

Wyatt: I am not in favor of school board elections becoming partisan, as it will further politicize public education. Unfortunately, we have become a society where civil discourse is not a common occurrence. We too often tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater. A single letter cannot accurately describe the intricate, local viewpoints and opinions of most, especially in today’s world. Shifting the conversation from ideas and beliefs to partisan politics does not benefit students.