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Polk staff recommend closing or consolidating several alternative and virtual programs to free funds for raises
Summary
District staff recommended May 6 reducing Real Academy sites from three to two, closing Fresh Start and reorganizing Polk Virtual and other contracts; administrators said the changes could save roughly $5.6 million and help cover negotiated teacher pay increases.
Polk County Public Schools staff presented a plan May 6 to consolidate or eliminate several alternative-education and virtual programs and reassign staff to address budget pressures and fund negotiated salary increases.
The presentation identified Fresh Start (a dropout-retrieval program), Polk Virtual (full- and part-time virtual options), and Real Academy (an acceleration model for students multiple grade levels behind) as primary targets for consolidation or closure. Staff said Fresh Start serves 81 students across three locations and could be transitioned to existing…
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