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Polk County Public Schools has hosted two of its six town hall meetings about high school rezoning, and public response has been good so far, officials say.
About 40 people attended the Lakeland-focused northwest district meeting at the Harrison Theatre on Thursday. Those attending had a lot of questions, but few complaints.
“We’ve actually been very pleased that the feedback has been so positive,” said Jennifer Farrell, assistant director of Geographic Information System (GIS) and demography. “I think people realize there has been a need.”
Data-informed process: In a brief presentation, school district staff said the proposed boundary changes are designed to balance enrollment — relieving schools that are overcrowded and making better use of schools that have extra capacity.
The process has been “grounded in data,” to ensure that decisions are thoughtful and equitable. A big factor is anticipating future student populations.
Tracking residential growth: The school district has an interactive dashboard where it tracks single-family and multi-family real estate projects.
Currently, the district is watching 342 developments across Polk County that are expected to house 13,426 elementary school students, 5,202 middle school students and 6,900 high school students.
It also monitors changing demographics in older communities.
“You’ve got neighborhoods that have aged out and there are not a lot of kids there anymore,” Farrell said.
Feeder patterns: The district wants to establish logical feeder patterns that support community cohesiveness.
Middle school rezoning is expected to be complete by May 2026 and elementary school rezoning by May 2027.
“Ideally, four elementaries would go to two middle schools, which would feed into one high school.”
Jennifer Farrell, assistant director of GIS and demography
Zoom in: A website with interactive maps went live on Aug. 22. Each high school has at least two new zone options:
- George Jenkins High School — Of three possible zones, the Attendance Boundary Committee recommends Option 2.
- Kathleen High School — Of three zones, the committee recommends Option 1.
- Lake Gibson High School — Of two zones, the committee recommends Option 2.
- Lakeland High School — Of two zones, the committee recommends Option 2.
- Tenoroc High School — Of two zones, the committee recommends Option 1.
Although the 15-member Attendance Boundary Committee has made its recommendation for each school, parent input will also be a factor in the final decision. There is a survey button at the bottom of every page where people can register their preferences and express any specific concerns.
A ‘soft adjustment’: Josh McLemore, director of facilities planning and real estate, said Polk learned some lessons from Hillsborough County’s contentious rezoning process. The Hillsborough school board voted 4-3 in June 2023 to approve boundary changes that took effect for the 2024-25 school year.
He said Polk is committed to being very transparent, offering lots of opportunity for public input and making it a “soft adjustment” with grandfathering of current students and siblings.
Family prepares to send new generation to new school: Shela Stewart-Lucas, a grandparent of five children ages 7 to 13, said she attended the meeting because her home and her grandchildren’s are being rezoned from George Jenkins High School to Tenoroc High School, which opened in 2008.
“It’s going to be an adjustment, but we’re going to embrace change,” Stewart-Lucas said.
Although her own children went to George Jenkins, she said Tenoroc is closer. “When I had to go to that school, it was a hike.”
Transportation challenges: One parent asked about bus transportation if she opts to send her children to a charter school.
Farrell said generally, parents are responsible for getting their kids to charter schools, unless a specific school has made provisions for bus service.
“We’d love to be able to transport everybody, but we don’t have enough buses or drivers for that,” she said.
One of the goals of rezoning is to reduce ride times and improve bus route efficiency by zoning kids for the closest school.
All-region virtual town hall
Lakeland residents who missed the in-person town hall focused on local schools have another chance to hear directly from school district officials. There will be a livestreamed virtual town hall covering all PCPS high schools.
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 2
- Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Livestream link: youtube.com/polkcountypublicschools
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