Superintendent Frederick Heid will conduct an outreach tour in September featuring several Community Conversation forums. A complete schedule can be found below. Each forum will begin at 6 p.m. “I am looking forward to making stops throughout Polk County and talking with all of our stakeholders,” Heid said. “We will have candid discussions and look for ways to improve our school system. We need the community’s feedback to determine the qualities, characteristics, training and skills that we expect in our graduates. Together, we will develop a strategic plan to better serve our students and give them the best educational experience possible.” The public is invited to attend these forums and interact with Polk’s new superintendent. In April, Heid was unanimously selected to become the new superintendent of Polk County Public Schools. He now oversees one of Florida’s largest school districts, serving more than 106,000 students and approximately 14,000 employees. The Superintendent’s Community Conversations are being organized by Polk Vision and the school district’s Department of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships. “We know people have busy schedules, so these forums will take place at 6 p.m. at various locations throughout Polk County to make them more accessible and convenient,” said Kim Long, executive director of Polk Vision. “We also have a virtual forum that will be broadcast live on Facebook for anyone who isn’t able to attend our in-person options. We greatly appreciate all of the businesses, nonprofits and government agencies who are making their facilities available for these Community Conversations.” Superintendent’s Community Conversations All forums begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 14: Bartow Civic Center — 2250 S. Floral Ave., Bartow Sept. 15: Auburndale Civic Center — 115 W Park St., Auburndale Sept. 16: AdventHealth Fieldhouse — 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven Sept. 20: Presbyterian Church in the Highlands — 1010 Lake Miriam Drive, Lakeland Sept. 21: Lake Eva Event Center — 799 Johns Ave., Haines City Sept. 23: Dream Center of Lakeland — 635 W. 5th St., Lakeland Sept. 27: Virtual Forum — (broadcast live on Facebook (facebook.com/polkcountypublicschools)