Polk board hears pitch to pilot 'Wonder Here' project-based program at Philip O'Brien

Wonder Here, an education nonprofit that has run a decade-long project-based program on a South Lakeland campus, asked the Polk County School Board on Nov. 18 to pilot two primary (K–1) units at Philip O'Brien Elementary.

The organization asked the district to retain school staff while providing curriculum, training and in-class coaching. Jessica Zivkovich, a Wonder Here co-presenter, said the model combines elements of Montessori, Reggio Emilia and practices from Finland and that the group has compiled internal data and case studies to support its approach. "When school is experienced through hands-on, curiosity-driven education, real and lasting learning will finally occur," Zivkovich said.

Presenters detailed program components: a project-based curriculum with more than 30 unit studies, personalized learning plans, a regular progress-monitoring system (benchmark checklists and narrative reports), and structured parent engagement through an on-campus 'Parents at Work' model. Wonder Here said parents at its campuses are highly engaged and provided summaries of student progress; presenters cited internal case-study results and assessment gains from their programs.

The group requested an "innovation investment" from the district: $75,000 to cover full curriculum licensing, annual training and ongoing coaching, and an additional $50,000 option to fund a full-time, on-site Wonder Here director to work alongside teachers and leaders. "With an investment of $75,000, the campus will receive full curriculum and program licensing, ongoing training, and complete access to our Wonder Here systems and support," a presenter said.

Superintendent Hyde framed the proposal in the context of recent Florida statutory changes and increased charter activity, calling the program a district-led option to offer parental choice without ceding students or campus control to an external charter provider. Hyde said the pilot would not change school administration or the school's reported performance: "There's no change to the school or its population," he said when asked whether Philip O'Brien's turnaround status or accountability scoring would be affected.

Board members sought clarifications on several operational points: how students would be selected (lottery vs. neighborhood preference), whether priority could be given to on-zone Philip O'Brien students, transportation logistics for students who might come from other parts of the county, and how the district would account for the recurring $75,000 / $50,000 costs. Miss Wyatt urged a guarantee that on-campus students would have preference: "I would hope that we would allow it to be open to the students at Philip O'Brien first," she said.

Hyde proposed two enrollment options to the board and offered to return with refined language and numbers before a final December vote: a targeted reservation that would reserve a percentage of seats (he suggested a 50/50 split as one option), and a traditional magnet/choice lottery for remaining seats. He also emphasized the importance of parent engagement to the model's success.

Next steps: the board signaled interest but requested more detail. Superintendent Hyde said staff would bring back revised enrollment and implementation options, transport logistics and budget clarifications ahead of the board vote expected in December.

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