AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Polk County Public Schools is in need of more teachers less than a week before the first day of school.
Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk County Education Association, says most people get into education because they want to make a lasting impact. But she says recruiting and retaining teachers has become more challenging. Currently, the district has more than 500 instructional vacancies.
“That is 10% of our classrooms will not start the year with a certified teacher. That’s a problem,” she said.
Yocum says this issue isn’t just limited to Polk County. She says districts across the state are struggling to hire more staff due to cuts in public school funding. According to the Florida Education Association, Florida ranks among the lowest in the nation for teacher pay, and Polk County falls below the state average.
“Right now, Polk County is a training ground for Hillsborough, Osceola, Orange, and our other surrounding districts because they pay more money because they decided to tax themselves with a millage referendum to pay their teachers. They have decided to do other investments into their workforce,” Yocum said.
Polk County Public Schools is asking voters to approve a 1-mill property tax referendum in the upcoming election. The measure is expected to raise about $76 million to $82 million annually. 80% of that revenue would go toward recruiting, retaining and compensating staff.
Despite the challenges, Stambaugh Middle School teacher Jesse Thibodeau encourages anyone who feels called to education to pursue it.
“I believe you’ll be able to overcome those challenges, and it would be a rewarding career for those people,” Thibodeau said.
Thibodeau has spent the past eight years encouraging students through his leadership class. He says he never imagined becoming a teacher until a mission trip overseas changed his perspective.
“There was a man that introduced me on stage that said, ‘This man is called to youth,’ and I thought, well, what does that really mean? What does that look like?” Thibodeau said. “And once I got back to the States, I started praying about that, and I felt the sense I was supposed to go in and serve at a public school.”
If approved, the property tax referendum would cost the average homeowner about $260 a year.
The tax would be in effect for four years, starting July 1, 2027.