PCPS leaders do not have a crystal ball, but when it comes to school start times they have binoculars zoomed in, and what they can see is this: times are changing, and they would like some local control of a statewide mandate to change start times.

At Lake Gibson, as well as Kathleen High School, Lakeland Regional Health is providing healthcare professionals an annual stipend to sweeten the pot and to encourage more active healthcare faculty to provide hands-on instruction to the next generation as teachers in local schools.

As the rhythmic “wop wop wop” of the Orlando Health Air Care helicopter grew louder and louder as it descended onto Jerry May Field at George Jenkins High School in front of hundreds of students and faculty this April,  it did not signal an unexpected moment of crisis—it was actually a symbol of clarity.

Polk RISE! is born out of the reality that most parents care deeply about their children’s futures, but they may not know how to best assist them on the journey because it is uncharted territory for them. Check out how it’s transforming lives of students by giving families a hand up.

“Every time I speak publicly, I share this one statement: we have got to figure out how to make students and parents be partners in their education and not just passengers in their education,” PCPS Superintendent Fred Heid says. With the help of a new platform called SchoolLinks, Heid and his leadership team are hoping the connection grows stronger than ever.

In 2023-24, the district fell just one percentage point short of earning a ‘B’ grade at the state level for the first time since 2019, causing Superintendent Fred Heid to celebrate the progress, but reiterate the hard work that is just beginning to achieve the outcomes he and his team know are possible.