Polk County outlines district‑managed turnaround plans for Crystal Lake Middle and North Lakeland Elementary

District leaders told the Polk County School Board on Sept. 9 that they will submit district‑managed Turnaround Option Plans (TOP) for Crystal Lake Middle School and North Lakeland Elementary School under the state’s differentiated accountability process.

Why it matters: Both schools are designated turnaround schools (two consecutive D grades) and the plans trigger intensified supports and assurances to the Florida Department of Education designed to raise proficiency and learning gains.

Tracy Collins and Joe McNaughton summarized the schools’ needs and planned supports. "We have five schools that are D's or labeled as D's in the accountability realm. Three of those schools are first‑time D's. Two of those schools are what we call TOP, which means they've received two D's. Those are Crystal Lake and North Lakeland," Collins said. She and McNaughton described key components in the plans: full‑time, site‑based coaches for English language arts and math; priority hiring and recruitment efforts; increased instructional monitoring and calibration; attendance intervention personnel at North Lakeland; and a locally negotiated MOU to secure an extra planning day to support teacher planning and PLC work.

Staff emphasized staffing vacancies and teacher stability as central barriers to improvement. "One of the main barriers that we've identified in both of these settings is vacancies, staff stability," Collins said. Superintendent Hyde and board members discussed potential incentives and bargaining with the Polk Education Association to improve staffing stability; Hyde said the district will negotiate MOU options and expects to use additional Florida Department of Education funding for these strategies and that the proposals will not have net cost to the district's general allocation.

District staff described intensive coordination with the Bureau of School Improvement (BSI) and regular instructional walk‑throughs. McNaughton said the state team has begun vetting the plans, and Hyde noted the state now verifies items and has extended review steps. Board members pressed for family engagement and staff morale supports; Board Member Fields urged getting honest staff feedback and family engagement plans at North Lakeland and noted the importance of leadership stability.

What comes next: Staff said TOP submissions will be forwarded to the state; no formal board vote was required at the Sept. 9 work session. Hyde said the district will draft an MOU with PEA, finalize strategies for vacancies and return updates to the board.

Ending note: Board members and staff described the effort as ongoing; staff said that in past cases the district’s district‑managed approach has led to grade improvement when additional support continued.