Polk County School Board 2026: The Candidates Respond

Polk County voters will head to the polls on Aug. 18 to decide three contested school board seats. A fourth seat was settled before election day when District 7 incumbent Lisa Miller ran unopposed.

The Citrus Tea sent questionnaires to all candidates in the four races. Responses were received from five candidates. Sarah Corona (District 3), Kasen Hampton (District 6), and incumbent Kay Fields (District 5) did not respond. Answers have been summarized and presented without editorial position. We do not endorse candidates.

For background on what is at stake in these races, see our earlier coverage.

District 3: Wallace, Sims, and Corona

District 3 has three candidates on the Aug. 18 ballot. Kate Wallace was appointed to the seat in November 2025 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the vacancy left by the unfortunate death of Rick Nolte on August 20, 2025, following an extended illness. Victor Sims is challenging her. Sarah Corona also qualified but did not return The Citrus Tea’s questionnaire.

Kate Wallace describes herself as a Bartow native and graduate of Polk County Public Schools with two decades of experience in business, nonprofit work, and government. She cites her work expanding rural broadband access to more than 11,000 Polk households, her background with the Foundation for Excellence in Education advancing early literacy and school choice, and her founding of what is now ConnectEd Polk as relevant qualifications. She says the district’s biggest challenge is academic performance, noting that roughly 52 percent of students read at grade level and half of graduates are not fully prepared for college or career. Wallace says she supports increasing teacher pay and would fund it through operational efficiencies and advocacy in Tallahassee for a greater per-pupil funding share. On curriculum, she says parents should have full visibility into what their children are being taught and that the board’s role is to keep classrooms focused on academics in line with state law. On the budget, she says she would protect classroom instruction, early literacy, teacher compensation, and school safety before cutting, and would look first at central office administration and programs that cannot demonstrate results. Wallace is endorsed by all four Polk County state house members and Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell. Voters can learn more at kateforkids.com or [email protected].

Victor Sims identifies himself as a Polk County native and former foster youth who attended 12 different public schools in the county. He describes a career as a social worker and child and family advocate, including work with state agencies and community organizations, and says he currently leads Guiding Hope Inc., where he serves as president of restorative justice programs. Sims says he is running to ensure no student feels invisible, no parent feels unheard, and no teacher feels unsupported. He identifies uneven resource distribution as the district’s central challenge, particularly for a district serving more than 117,000 students while ranking among Florida’s lowest-funded. He says his approach would include directing resources to under-resourced schools, strengthening teacher and staff retention, and using transparent data to measure student progress. On teacher pay, he says support staff must be included in any compensation conversation and that the board should address pay compression for experienced employees. On the budget, he says he would protect core teaching and student-support functions and scrutinize nonessential overhead and administrative duplication before cutting anything that touches classrooms. Voters can learn more at simsforpolk.com.

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District 5: Neelam vs. Fields

Sam Neelam is challenging six-term incumbent Kay Fields. Fields did not respond to The Citrus Tea’s questionnaire. Due to term limit legislation signed in 2023, this would be Fields’ final term if she wins.

Neelam describes himself as a longtime Central Florida resident, husband, and father, with a background in founding and leading technology and real estate companies. He also lists service on the Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees and work as a community development district supervisor as relevant experience. He says the district’s biggest challenge is managing rapid student growth while maintaining educational quality, and that his approach would focus on long-term planning, balancing enrollment, efficient use of existing facilities, and coordination with local governments on capacity. He supports increasing teacher pay through a budget review that prioritizes classroom needs over administrative costs, and says the board should provide stronger classroom support and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on educators. On the budget, he says he would prioritize teacher positions, instructional materials, and school safety if cuts became necessary. Voters can learn more at samneelam.com.

District 6: Sharpless vs. Hampton

Incumbent Justin Sharpless is seeking a second term. Challenger Kasen Hampton did not respond to The Citrus Tea’s questionnaire.

Sharpless describes himself as a born-and-raised Polk County resident who attended the district’s schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and spent his career in agricultural education at middle, high school, and university levels. He is serving as the board’s current chair and as vice president of the Florida School Boards Association. He cites the district’s ranking of 62nd out of 67 Florida school districts in per-pupil funding as a top concern and says advocating for reform to the Florida Education Finance Program will be a priority in a second term. He says the district has improved its overall grade from a C to a B, eliminated all F-rated schools, and raised its traditional high school graduation rate to 92.7 percent during his first term, with students earning 57 percent more industry certifications last year. On teacher pay, he supports continued raises and a compensation structure that rewards educators who take on difficult assignments. He says the board should back educators on discipline, reduce paperwork, and invest in coaching and mentoring programs. His budget priority if cuts were required would be classroom instruction, school safety, teacher compensation, career and technical education, and exceptional student education. He calls for looking first at central office administration, consultants, and programs that cannot show results. Sharpless says he has received endorsements from the entire Polk County state house delegation and Sheriff Grady Judd.

District 7: Miller Wins Uncontested

Lisa Miller will begin her third and final term on the Polk County School Board after running unopposed. Under term limit legislation enacted in 2023, this will be her last term on the board.

Miller describes a career that has included marketing and public relations, owning a real estate brokerage, classroom teaching, nonprofit leadership, and disability advocacy, including work focused on children with special needs. She says the district’s biggest challenge is keeping pace with rapid growth while ensuring access to quality education, and that her focus is on long-term planning, teacher and staff recruitment and retention, career and technical education, and reaching classrooms with resources. She says she supports raising teacher pay as one of the most important investments the district can make, funded through responsible budgeting, advocacy for state funding, and operational partnerships. On the budget, she says she would protect direct student services, classroom instruction, school safety, exceptional student education, and teacher and staff recruitment before considering any reductions. Miller has previously served as the chair of the Family Care Council for Area 14 and on the Florida Developmental Disability Council.

The Aug. 18 primary election covers all three contested school board races. Polk County School Board races are nonpartisan, meaning all registered Polk County voters are eligible to participate regardless of party affiliation. Early voting runs Aug. 8 through Aug. 15. Voters can verify their precinct and ballot information at polkelections.gov.

The Citrus Tea does not endorse candidates and takes no position on the outcome of these races. Candidate summaries are based solely on questionnaire responses submitted directly to The Citrus Tea.

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Sources: Candidate questionnaire responses submitted to The Citrus Tea. LkldNow, “Ballot Set for August Election,” 2026, lkldnow.com. Polk County Public Schools board member biographies, polkschoolsfl.com/quicklinks/boardmembers. Polk County Supervisor of Elections, polkelections.gov. Florida Division of Elections campaign finance records, voterfocus.com. The Ledger, obituary for Rick Nolte, theledger.com/obituaries/psar1260994.