Polk County School District staff presented a draft legislative platform on Oct. 14 that prioritizes student‑support and accountability proposals and a small set of funding requests the district will advocate for in the 2025 legislative session.

Chad Davis summarized the platform, which he said includes five student‑support and accountability priorities: allowing additional nationally recognized high‑school equivalency tests beyond the GED; permitting the highest valid score from PM‑2 or PM‑3 assessments for school accountability; creating a rolling three‑year average growth formula to set a predictable cap on new Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) awards; including PM‑1 and PM‑2 algebra assessment scores to provide mid‑year indicators for Algebra I; and allowing acceleration or grade‑calculation points for students who earn the Florida Seal of Fine Arts.

On funding, Davis said the district seeks continued increases in the base student allocation (BSA), support for department‑recommended increases in transportation and mental‑health categoricals, weighted VPK funding for students with disabilities, and continuation of the state academic tournament funding. Board members discussed refining language for specific asks, adding Polk‑specific appropriation requests and ensuring clear, measurable descriptions to take to Tallahassee.

Board members urged focused, measurable requests. Miss Miller recommended more descriptive funding language that explains Polk County’s operational shortfalls (for example transportation or ESE service gaps) to make the case to legislators. District staff said they would circulate a one‑page priority document for meetings with legislators and refine appropriation requests as needed; the board is expected to consider the platform for final approval at the Oct. 28 meeting to guide fall advocacy and committee meetings.