Brandt challenges first-term incumbent Allen for Polk School Board in District 1

Four years ago, William Allen ousted a first-term incumbent from the Polk County School Board.

Now, Bernnie Brandt aims to do the same to Allen.

Brandt is challenging Allen in District 1, which covers 22 schools in the Lakeland area. Voting takes place countywide, though the candidates are required to live in the district.

Vote-by-mail ballots have already gone out for the nonpartisan election, one of three School Board races being held this year. Early voting begins Aug. 10, and traditional voting will take place Aug. 20.

William Allen

Allen, 49, defeated incumbent Billy Townsend by 4.6 percentage points to win the 2020 election. Allen, a Bartow native, is an associate professor of interactive and game design at Florida Southern College.

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A married father of three, he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Pensacola Christian College, a master’s of fine arts from the Academy of Art University and a doctorate from the University of Central Florida.

Allen declined an interview, referring The Ledger to his written responses to a candidate questionnaire.

“With over 17 years of higher ed experience, I recognize the collaborative nature of a school system that provides an intense focus on preparing students,” Allen wrote. “My active voice in shaping our strategic plan gives me an advantage. Now, our work turns to implementing that vision, which is arguably more challenging. Having that context sets me apart from the competition.”

Asked about the main issues facing the Polk County School Board, Allen responded: “From my perspective, our top priority is giving parents confidence that the educational pathways and options their students are exposed to through Polk County Public Schools provides the rigor to prepare them for a successful future.”

Like other school districts throughout the country, Polk County has seen a rise in chronic absences among students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Allen cited actions that the School Board has taken, such as approving a K-12 dropout prevention program and increasing funding for a community outreach program, including the hiring of seven community outreach facilitators.

“Moving forward, we need to ensure these programs are effectively implemented and continuously evaluated for impact,” Allen wrote.

Speaking of disruptive student behavior, Allen touted the district’s Positive Behavior Intervention program, writing that he expects expanded school participation in the coming school year.

“The district has also taken stronger steps to equip administrators with the knowledge to enforce the Student Code of Conduct more consistently and fairly,” Allen wrote.

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The Florida Legislature has passed measures to raise starting pay for teachers, but advocates complain of “salary compression,” with some longtime teachers not making much more than newcomers.

“Since 2021, this Board has increased contributions for advanced degree pay supplements, moving Polk’s ranking to number three within the Central Florida School Board coalition,” Allen wrote. “Continued efforts are still needed and I’m committed to honoring our veteran staff.”

Anecdotal reports suggest that Polk County has been losing teachers to neighboring districts that offer higher pay. Allen said that Polk’s veteran teacher retention rates exceed the national average, though he said the district needs to work on improving retention rates for new teachers.

“Given that over 30% of our teacher workforce has served five years or less, this is a significant undertaking,” he wrote.

The Polk Education Association, an employee union, has advocated for a dedicated property tax to fund salary increases for teachers. Some surrounding counties have such revenue sources.

Allen, the current School Board chair, wrote that he does not favor “asking to increase tax rates to a level that exceeds those of our neighboring counties.” He said he supports Polk County’s half-cent sales tax for school construction and maintenance, first approved by voters in 2003 and renewed in 2018.

Amid rising scrutiny nationwide of school library books by conservative groups, Polk County Public Schools has received numerous challenges to certain titles. The School Board adopted procedures for reviewing objections in 2022, and it revised the policy this year, largely in response to new state laws and rules from the Florida Board of Education.

Citizens Defending Freedom, an organization based in Polk County, sued the district in March over its handling of book challenges.

“While I am mostly satisfied with the district's current process, I remain open to refining it to ensure it is transparent, fair, and consistently applied,” Allen wrote. “It's important that we balance the diverse viewpoints of our community while upholding the educational integrity of our school libraries.”

Allen has reported $36,844 in campaign contributions. His supporters include members of the prominent Story and Harrell families, Cassidy Holding Group and related entities, retired Publix executive Barney Barnett, Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz and former Polk County Public Schools lobbyist Wendy Dodge.

Bernnie Brandt

Brandt, 34, grew up in Winter Haven and lived elsewhere before returning to Polk County in 2019. He holds an associate's degree in criminal justice from Tallahassee Community College.

The married father of a 17-month-old son, he works as a security supervisor. He said that becoming a father motivated him to run for the School Board, as did hearing the laments of friends about problems with their children’s schools.

Brandt said that he considers Allen decent and intelligent.

“I have nothing, nothing negative to say about him as a person,” Brandt said. “As a School Board member, I feel like — at least openly, the side he shows the public — is not passionate about things. And I believe that in order to be in a position where you're one of seven people who represents decisions made that affect the children of a 700,000-person county, there have to be things that you are openly passionate about, things that get you fired up.”

Brandt also faulted Allen for voting with a majority of School Board members last year to discontinue a tradition of offering proclamations for such causes as Black History Month and LGBTQ Pride Month.

As a way to increase pay for longtime teachers, Brandt suggested carefully reviewing the district’s budget for money not being allocated properly. He said he is open to a slight increase in local property tax rates, with the revenue dedicated toward increasing pay for all district employees.

Brandt said that the School Board must address low attendance rates among some students.

“Absenteeism is an issue that, in my opinion, originates from students and families not seeing any motivation to continue to go to school,” he said.

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The district should determine which groups of students are frequently absent and have guidance counselors talk to their families about the underlying reasons, he said. Schools should give students incentive to attend school and graduate, even if they have no plans to attend college, he said.

In addressing unruly students, school officials must remember that children’s brains are far from reaching full development, Brandt said.

“Administrative staff needs to support teachers in disciplinary decisions,” he said. “But before it ever gets to a major discipline issue, I would like to see an expansion of mental health resources available to our schools, so that if you have a behavior issue, instead of it being, ‘Hey, you're in trouble,’ it’s, ‘Hey, you’re having a difficult day. Here's a mental health professional.’”

Brandt said he would push the School Board and district leaders to be more available to the public. Noting that some residents have difficulty making it to the district office in Bartow for School Board meetings at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, he suggested holding meetings at varying locations and different times, including on Saturdays.

Brandt vowed that if elected he would make himself accessible to residents. He mentioned scheduling gatherings at coffee shops and allowing citizens to call him directly with concerns.

“And if there's a major issue coming up for a vote, I'm going to actively solicit community input before I make a vote on it,” he said. “I will listen to the constituents because ultimately you are one of seven people to represent the county, and I believe that the board members should be accessible so that they understand what people want them to do as a representative.”

Brandt has reported $4,337 in campaign contributions. His supporters include Kathie Sutherland, past executive director of the Polk County Democrats, former School Board member Sarah Fortney and Kay Klymko, a Democrat running for the Polk County Commission.

Gary White can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk School Board incumbent Allen faces challenge from Brandt