# School Board Work Session | October 13, 2026

Polk County Public Schools board work session, October 13, 2026: Staff presented the substitute-services RFP evaluation and recommended Kelly Education Services over finalist ESS. Kelly scored 115 of 120 points, compared with ESS at 108.57. The recommendation cited Kelly’s existing district operations and reported 98.4% fill rate, along with a proposed markup reduction from 27% to 24%. Using the 2025–26 billed amount of $34.6 million, staff estimated the lower markup would save about $1.038 million. Board members raised questions about evaluation-score transparency, a reference letter included in Kelly’s proposal, substitute safety, and service quality; one member suggested obtaining individual phase-one scores and potentially redoing the RFP. No contract award vote or final approval occurred during the work session.

Staff also discussed an agricultural/event and educational facility project, with estimated construction costs of about $7.6 million plus roughly $2 million for furnishings, fixtures, and equipment. Identified funding included a $3.5 million state appropriation and a $250,000 Mosaic contribution; the remaining funding need was not fully reconciled during discussion, and staff said they would explore additional partners. No construction procurement or award was presented. Other items included a no-cost, recurring 2026–28 school health plan agreement with the local Department of Health, a contract modification described as an address update, and an SAP implementation update that included planned pay-as-used application-management support; no dollar amount or vendor award was stated for that support. No spending-related votes were identified.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Education, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 13, 2026

### Sources
- [School Board Work Session | October 13, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDbza8YUC-w) - Polk County Public Schools