Union says Polk County schools face a teacher exodus. Would a property tax for higher pay help?

By Gary White 

The leader of Polk County’s education union is worried about an exodus of teachers to Hillsborough County, where salaries are higher.

Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk Education Association, would like to see Polk County Public Schools steal an idea from the district to the west. Yocum is pressing the Polk County School Board to approve placing a referendum on the 2026 ballot for a property tax to generate money for increased teacher salaries.

“They should have done it in 2024, but yet simply cannot seem to see the forest for the trees,” Yocum said. “This district continues to be reactionary instead of proactive, like Hillsborough.”

Yocum unsuccessfully lobbied the Polk County School Board to approve a ballot measure before last year’s election. She noted that referendums to adopt property taxes for school funding appeared on ballots last year in 26 counties, and voters approved all but one.

Some of those referendums created new taxes, while others renewed existing programs.

Polk County has never had a property tax, or millage rate, dedicated to school funding. Yocum said she thinks School Board members now recognize the need to create such a funding mechanism to boost teachers’ salaries.

The union suggests a tax of 1 mill, or $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value, the same amount that Hillsborough voters approved.

“I believe we have a majority that's going to vote for it,” Yocum said. “But again, you have to start now.”

Yocum focuses her attention on Hillsborough County because teachers living in Lakeland can easily make the drive to work in that neighboring county. Teachers in Hillsborough already earn more than their counterparts at public schools in Polk County.

“A person with my years of experience — I have 16 years of experience — I can jump over to Hillsborough, make $10,000 more on my base salary right now,” said Yocum, a certified math teacher.

Base salaries for Hillsborough County teachers range from $48,000 to $72,991, district spokesperson Tanya Arja said.

Polk County offers a salary of $47,500 for new teachers. The district offers supplements of $3,162 for teachers with a master’s degree, $4,517 for a specialist degree and $6,776 for a doctoral degree.

Is Polk falling behind?

The pay gap between Polk and Hillsborough is going to widen further. In November, Hillsborough County voters approved a millage increase to fund salary increases for teachers. The measure, estimated to cost a typical homeowner $281 a year, is expected to generate $177 million a year, the district said. The property tax takes effect in November and will run for four years.

The tax revenue will provide teachers with a $6,000 supplement for the 2025-26 school year, Arja said. Support staff will gain a $3,000 supplement.

Hillsborough expects to negotiate a new contract with employees this spring, and the supplements will add to whatever pay increases might result, Arja said.

Yocum said she knows of several teachers who have left Polk for Hillsborough in recent years. She gave the example of a veteran math teacher who left a Lakeland school during the winter break for a job in Hillsborough County.

“She’s going to get a $17,000 jump in six months,” Yocum said.

Other teachers are simply quitting. Three teachers at Lakeland High School recently resigned on the same day, Yocum said.

Pinellas County voters passed a referendum last year that will create funding for the school district. The county’s residents have approved renewals of such a measure every four years since it was first adopted in 2004, ABC Action News reported.

The Pinellas measure is intended to add salary supplements for teachers and support staff. The measure continues the existence of an independent committee to monitor the spending of funds from the property tax.

More than half of Florida’s counties have passed ballot measures that generate tax revenue — either property taxes or sales tax — for educational purposes, according to the Florida Education Association. Some of those measures dedicate the money toward teacher salaries, while others steer the money to school operations, which can include staff pay.

Polk County residents have previously voted to tax themselves to benefit schools. Voters in 2003 approved a half-cent sales tax lasting 15 years to produce revenue for school capital outlay — building or renovating facilities.

A renewal of the half-cent sales tax easily passed in 2018, with 68.5% approval, to continue the revenue for another 15 years.

The district does not have an official position on a possible tax referendum, spokesperson Kyle Kennedy said. School Board members have received information on referendum options and must consider them in a public meeting, he said.

Polk County voters have produced a mixed record on ballot measures aimed at raising tax money for specific purposes.

In 2023, the Polk County Commission voted 4-1 against placing a referendum on the ballot for a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects. Voters rejected a proposed sales taxes to raise money for roads and transit in 2010 and 2014.

But Polk County voters approved a referendum in 2022 for a property tax to generate funds for conservation land purchases over 20 years. That followed the lapsing of an assessment adopted in the 1990s.

At odds over new contract

The Florida Legislature in 2020 mandated starting salaries of $47,500 for teachers. The state has designated additional money since then to boost pay, but Florida still ranked 50^th nationally last year in average teacher compensation, according to the National Education Association.

While starting salaries for teachers had risen in recent years, the state has not adopted any guidelines covering pay for longtime teachers. Yocum complains that some teachers with ample experience do not make much more than first-year teachers because they entered the system when starting pay was much lower.

Some School Board members have also said that the district should address that phenomenon, known as salary compression.

The Polk Education Association, Yocum’s union, represents teachers and some other school employees. The union negotiates with the district each year on a contract that establishes pay and benefits.

The two sides have been negotiating since June on a contract for the 2024-25 academic year. The district has offered 4% raises, Kennedy said. Those are already in effect for nonunion employees, and a smaller union that represents bus drivers and other blue-collar workers accepted the offer.

But Yocum, whose union covers 70% of district employees, said the district is offering a pot of $20.2 million to be divided among union members. The union estimates 4% raises for all would require about $28 million.

The district canceled a scheduled bargaining session in December, and a session held Wednesday night did not produce an agreement as the district offered no additional money, Yocum said.

Winter Haven High studentA native of Colombia, she was elected governor at Girls State in Tallahassee

While teacher pay is lower in Polk County than in some nearby counties, district officials often cite an unusual benefit: PCPS offers health coverage at no cost to employees.

Yocum said that, while children can be added to the plan at reasonable cost, it's almost $600 a month to add a spouse. And she said the savings on medical coverage do not come close to offsetting the pay deficit compared to other counties, particularly Hillsborough.

“But even if they’re paying for your health insurance, if you're making a $10,000 raise (in Hillsborough), who cares?” Yocum said. “I'll pay for my health insurance for a $10,000 raise, so I can actually maybe pay my bills and not have to work a second job. And it's a great benefit, but they want to tout this benefit instead of actually paying people.”

School Board's decision to make

William Allen, the chair of the Polk School Board, said he did not favor a ballot referendum last year for a property tax designated for teacher salaries. Allen now seems more receptive to the possibility for 2026, but he said he is waiting to see what contract emerges from the current negotiations.

“The biggest thing for me is we need to get our teacher contract solidified before we can have these conversations around the referendum,” Allen said. “I think the longer that that holdout is there, it delays the conversation at the board level.”

Allen said that he would want to study the measure adopted in Pinellas County, which he said includes “targeted” language. The Pinellas referendum devotes 70% of tax revenue to teacher pay, with the rest divided among salaries for support staff and educational programs.

“It’s obvious that we want to honor our teachers and our staff,” Allen said. “From my perspective, I've done – and I assume other board members have as well, continue to do their due diligence in understanding the variety of referendums and even the language variations between counties. So, it's important that we hear from our community in regards to what they desire.”

Lisa Miller, a School Board member since 2018, seemed open to considering a referendum.

“There is no question that we must find a way to ensure that our employees are compensated fairly,” Miller said by email. “The decision to place a referendum on the ballot will require a board vote. We have done the work to have our budget evaluated and audited. Twenty-five counties either passed a referendum or renewed their referendum this last election cycle. Our growth will force us to be competitive in recruiting and retaining highly effective staff.”

The other two longest-serving board members, Kay Fields and Sara Beth Wyatt, did not respond to voicemails.

The School Board has not yet discussed the prospect of a referendum at any meetings. Florida Sunshine Laws prohibit members of an elected board from discussing official business outside of public meetings.

Though it might seem early to talk about placing a measure on the ballot for November 2026, Yocum said that the process requires time to craft the ballot language, establish a memorandum of understanding on how the revenue would be used and create a political committee to lead the campaign.

Relying on substitute teachers

Like many districts across the nation, Polk County Public Schools is grappling with a shortage of teachers.

The district has about 270 vacancies out of roughly 7,000 teachers, Kennedy said. In addition, the district is employing about 630 long-term substitutes as teachers and paraeducators. Many of those extended substitutes teach subjects for which they lack state certification, Yocum said.

Polk County Public Schools operates about 120 schools serving more than 117,000 students.

Statewide, school districts listed about 3,200 teacher vacancies in January, according to a news release from the Florida Education Association.

Analyzing data from the Florida Department of Education, the FEA found that the number of courses led by teachers without training or certifications in the subject has increased by 16% in the past three years.

“This shift indicates that even as classrooms are being staffed, they are increasingly being filled with interns or international teachers,” the release said. “Across the state, some districts are not advertising vacancies because positions are being filled with uncertified long-term substitutes.”

The FEA cited Polk County as a district using a high number of full-time substitutes.

When the Polk union made a records request in September, it learned that 618 of 671 long-term substitutes provided by Kelly Services were listed as teachers of record, Yocum said.

“There is no state law/requirement that prohibits substitutes from teaching without certifications,” Kennedy said in an email. “Many subs are working toward certification or awaiting their credentials from the state.”

The district regularly offers webinars and in-person sessions to support anyone wishing to become a full-time teacher, he said. The district also provides reimbursements for some exam and certification application fees.

Retention slips for new teachers

While many substitutes do excellent work, Yocum said others are “literally placeholders.” She said it is “unheard of” to have so many classes led by teachers who are not certified in the subjects they teach.

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