Superintendent and Teachers Union Offer Different Pictures Of New State Budget’s Impact On Teacher Pay
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid and Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum are offering different takes on what Florida’s newly signed state budget means for local teacher pay.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s $117.6 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year on June 29. The budget includes $1.56 billion for statewide teacher salary increases, with about $200 million specifically earmarked for teachers with 10 or more years of experience.
Superintendent Heid said salary decisions for instructional staff are set through collective bargaining with the Polk Education Association, guided by state funding parameters, Florida Statutes and State Board of Education rules. He said salary compression (the gap between starting and veteran teacher pay) has affected districts statewide since Florida’s teacher salary increase program began, because early state funds were used mostly to raise starting salaries.
“Here in Polk County Public Schools, we chose to meet the required minimum teacher salary as soon as possible,” Heid said. “By doing that, it allowed the district to use future years of recurring state dollars, where possible, to address salary compression with our experienced teachers.”
Stephanie Yocum, President of the Polk Education Association (PEA), offered a sharply different assessment of the state’s budget impact locally. She stated the budget increases Polk’s Base Student Allocation by only $85, which includes the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation and other mandatory funding categories.
“The TSIA money eligibility has changed yet again by our Legislature and only applies to classroom teachers with 10-plus years of experience in a Florida public school,” Yocum said. “The Legislature continues to fix a salary compression nightmare they created in the first year of TSIA in the 2020-2021 school year.”
Yocum said, “after the TSIA allocation of $6.7 million for Polk County Public Schools, with the charter school allocation removed and other mandated expenditures, the district’s general fund has about $2.1 million in new money for teacher salary increases, leaving roughly 9,200 employees ineligible for TSIA funding, support staff among them.”
“Our Governor continually fails to utter a single word about our hard-working support staff…Our Legislature fails to earmark any money for support staff. Our Governor gaslights while every single educator and support staff member feels the true disinvestment every single day. Our state must do better to uphold our collective commitment to public schools that is codified in our Constitution.”
– Stephanie Yocum, PEA President
Heid acknowledged that newer and mid-career teachers, those with fewer than 10 years of experience, continue to feel pressure from rising housing costs, insurance and inflation, though the bulk of this year’s new funding is earmarked for more experienced teachers.
“We understand and appreciate that teachers who don’t fall into that category are still feeling the pinch,” Heid said. “Our goal is a salary schedule that rewards educators at all stages of their career, not just when they are hired or after they’ve put in 30 years of service.”
The Citrus Tea will continue to follow negotiations between Polk County Public Schools and the Polk Education Association as they progress.
Source: Superintendent Fred Heid, Polk County Public Schools, and Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum, written statements provided to The Citrus Tea
