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Polk School District work session, Aug 25, 2026

5 h 40 min

AI in schools ▶ 3:33:08Reading and test scores ▶ 4:31:48

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 5 h 40 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Polk school board reviews recommended clinic and pharmacy benefit vendors at work session 1:23:28

  • The board held a workshop that included a new high school update, the 5-year capital plan and a clinic vendor strategy. 4:10
  • A consultant recommended PeopleOne Health for employee clinics, and another consultant said the committee recommended RightWay as pharmacy benefits manager. 1:35:01
  • Justin Sharpless asked whether Weldyne, the current vendor, had been given the opportunity to match the savings offered by RightWay, and a speaker said there was no vote before the board on the topic. 3:59:27
  • The superintendent said there was consensus to begin due diligence on a possible CFAA East campus. 5:01:57

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (14)
  1. Opening and agenda change 2:14
    • Justin Sharpless called the work session to order and read the governance team's statement. 2:14
    • The superintendent said the turnaround option plan item had been deleted in BoardDocs and was being added back because it must be submitted with board approval prior to September. 2:14
  2. New high school construction update 4:10
    • A district staff member said the South Florida Water Management District had issued the permit that had been holding up the project and that the school has an official address of 700 Bayberry Street, Poinciana. 5:44
    • The staff member said the district's partner considers the project on schedule and on budget, and told Justin Sharpless it remains on schedule to open on time. 10:41
    • Dr. William Allen said the substantial completion date is May 1st, with a penalty of $10,000 per day up to $2 million if it is missed. 23:40
  3. Five-year capital plan 27:58
    • A district staff member said the board locks in year 1 of the plan, that years 1 through 3 are considered assured construction, and that the district plans an additional 9,150 seats over the next 10 years. 28:37
    • One board member said the district could not rezone its way out of the problem in the Northeast and asked that conversations be accelerated on changing the 5-year capital plan to include a more aggressive approach to growth in that area. 1:01:00
    • Justin Sharpless asked about a $1.2 billion deferred maintenance figure compared with $101 million in the plan, and the staff member said the $1.1 billion figure included schools slated for modernization. 1:11:53
  4. Employee clinic vendor recommendation 1:23:28
    • A consultant said 19 vendors responded and that PeopleOne Health was recommended, would cover construction and implementation costs, would charge $165 per member per month and estimated $22 million in plan savings with a $3.1 million guarantee. 1:25:09
    • The consultant said the goal was to be running by January 1st, 2027. 1:28:29
    • Kay Fields asked whether a four-month transition could realistically be done, and the consultant said the clinical transfer typically takes 45 to 60 days. 1:55:08
  5. Valedictorian and salutatorian tiebreakers 1:59:37
    • A district staff member said current policy provides no salutatorian when there are two valedictorians and reviewed tiebreaker methods used in other districts. 2:00:37
    • One board member said a co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian approach would be a cleaner policy and would have their support, and another board member said they were also in favor of co-valedictorians as the tiebreaker. 2:10:35
    • One board member said the district should name co-valedictorians if there is a tie. 2:24:33
  6. College and career platform implementation 2:44:44
    • A district staff member said School Links is the college and career platform for all students in grades 6 through 12. 2:46:31
    • A staff member said the summer internship program had 600 applicants, 200 of whom qualified, and placed 42 students with 21 partners. 2:51:19
    • Lisa Miller asked how the district would measure use of the platform. 3:02:09
  7. Substitute teaching services contract 3:18:15
    • A district staff member said the evaluation committee recommended Kelly Services, which scored 115 points out of 120, over ESS Southeast at 108.57, and that staff planned to bring the item back September 8th. 3:19:31
    • One board member said the cost of the RFP was not known, and another board member said more information was needed on performance standards, fill guarantees and cost before a vote on the topic. 3:25:59
    • Justin Sharpless asked who served on the evaluation committees and requested the scoring rubric template. 3:29:28
  8. Artificial intelligence update 3:33:08
    • A district staff member said the district has had 4,000 unique users of Copilot since January 1st and is working with the University of Florida on a three-year plan built around subcommittees. 3:33:26
    • Sara Beth (Reynolds) Wyatt asked where committee sign-up information had been shared and whether people outside the district were represented. 3:45:12
    • Justin Sharpless asked what metrics would be used to decide when to move past the teacher pilot. 3:49:30
  9. Pharmacy benefits manager recommendation 3:54:00
    • A consultant said the committee recommended RightWay, with estimated savings of $6.1 million on a $39 million expenditure line. 3:55:23
    • One board member asked for a conversation with WellDyne to see if it could price match to minimize disruption, and a speaker said the discussion raised possible legal ramifications and that no vote was before the board on the topic. 4:01:20
    • One board member said that, as one board member, they would not be supportive of accepting an RFP proposal. 4:09:35
  10. Music building naming proposal 4:23:41
    • The principal said the school's SAC would cover the cost of a plaque. 4:27:36
    • One board member said the honoree's name could be abbreviated to fit on the building. 4:30:23
  11. Turnaround option plan 4:31:48
    • The superintendent said a board-approved turnaround option plan is required for Eagle Lake, which earned a D and missed a C by 1 percentage point. 4:31:48
    • A district staff member outlined supports including full-time coaches in ELA and math and two planning days per week. 4:40:05
  12. Board meeting agenda review 4:48:01
    • Justin Sharpless asked the superintendent to list the item as two separate motions. 4:52:53
  13. CFAA East campus update 5:01:35
    • The superintendent asked for consensus to begin due diligence, and one board member called it a great initiative and said they were in favor. 5:01:35
    • The superintendent said staff met with the City of Winter Haven about a site on airport property and estimated the building would cost $20 to $25 million. 5:01:57
    • The superintendent said there was consensus to move forward with due diligence. 5:10:12
  14. Recurring items calendar and audit proposal 5:10:23
    • Sara Beth (Reynolds) Wyatt asked for a calendar of items that come to the board on a regular schedule, and the superintendent said a draft would be sent. 5:10:38
    • A district staff member recommended co-sourcing audit work instead of filling a vacant internal audit position, at a cost of $135,000. 5:14:15
    • One board member said they would not be in support of outsourcing the duties as presented, and another board member said they would be supportive of the arrangement. 5:29:18

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “School Board Work Session | August 25, 2026”