Kate Wallace to seek Polk County School Board seat, vows ‘quality school choice’

Kate Wallace, a local business leader and product of Polk County Public Schools, is running for the District 3 seat on the School Board.

A Bartow native, Wallace already holds the seat after being appointed in November by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the remaining term of Rick Nolte, who passed away in August.

Wallace is the Director of State Government Affairs for Charter Communications. She serves as a member of the Polk County Public Schools Charter Review Team and on the IDEA Public Schools Florida Fiduciary Board.

Other public service includes membership on the United Way of Central Florida’s Community Investment Team.

“Polk County families deserve a fighter dedicated to ensuring their children have access to A+ schools,” Wallace said. “I will focus my time on increasing quality school choice options and cultivating a culture of academic excellence within our school system, so that more of our schools become A+.”

Running as a conservative, Wallace is highlighting accomplishments she has made for Polk County families throughout her career in the private sector, including securing a significant grant to bring IDEA Public Schools to the county.

She has also advocated to expand the Junior Achievement 3DE Program and the Barnett Family Discovery Center, which is on track to open later this year. Wallace has also worked to attract millions in rural broadband grants — including with the Vision Smart Communities Team, the Board of County Commissioners and other stakeholders — and she has worked with lawmakers to pass statewide school choice and education savings account policies and programs.

“We knew families needed access to more options, so we brought IDEA Public Schools and Junior Achievement 3DE to Lakeland. When thousands of Polk’s children could not learn remotely during COVID, we secured access for more than 11,000 underserved Polk households. When Florida’s families wanted more public and private school choice, we fought in Tallahassee more than 10 years ago to make that a reality,” Wallace said.

“Now, more families than ever choose the best education for their child. This is just the beginning of the improvements I plan to bring to our parents, teachers and students.”

A 20-year veteran of education policy and advocacy, Wallace previously served as the director of public affairs for Florida Internet & Television, the cable television trade association.

Wallace is also the founding Executive Director for Lakeland Leads, which helped attract IDEA Public Schools to the area.

Her previous civil service includes work with local, state and national advocacy groups, including the Junior Leagues of Florida, Leadership Florida — Education Class V, the United Way of Central Florida, Polk Vision, the Gator Bowl Sports Committee, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Leadership Network, and numerous local Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Councils across the state.

Wallace earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida.