Polk County School Board Candidates on the Record: Forum Coverage and Full Questionnaire Responses
Six of the eight candidates running for Polk County School Board sat down with educators on the evening of July 29 and answered nine questions at a candidate forum organized by the Polk Education Association – Retired, a group that has staged the event annually since the concept was proposed by retired teacher Ray McKinney in 2014. The event was held at the Advent Health Field House in Winter Haven with several candidates from other local races also in attendance.
The Citrus Tea News also sent written questionnaires to all 8 candidates, and have posted their full responses in a .PDF at the end of this post.
The PEA – Retired School Board Candidate Forum, moderated by Bernice “Bernie” Warren, immediate past president of PEA – Retired, brought together all three District 3 candidates, Kate Wallace, Victor Sims and Sarah Corona, along with District 5 incumbent Kay Fields and challenger Sam Neelam, and District 6 incumbent Justin Sharpless.
Kasen Hampton, who is challenging Sharpless in District 6, was absent due to a family medical emergency. District 7’s Lisa Miller, who ran uncontested and was returned to her seat without an election, was unable to attend. Her husband was present at the event in support of the forum.
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Candidates covered nine topics in all, including teacher compensation and the state funding formula, student behavior and classroom discipline, union relationships, school safety, mental health resources, class sizes and special programs, and what it means to publicly defend the teaching profession at a time when educators say respect for the job has eroded.
The exchange that drew the most visible reaction from the audience involved two proposals the PEA had brought to the bargaining table and the district had rejected. One would have given teachers control of classroom thermostats. The other would have required administrators to substitute in classrooms twice a year. Most candidates spoke directly to the reality that many Polk County teachers work in classrooms where broken air conditioners and poor insulation make a 72-degree thermostat setting meaningless. One candidate’s response stood apart from the rest and is covered in detail in the full forum video linked below.
Want to know where the school board candidates stand on key issues before you vote?
The Citrus Tea News has two resources to help you make an informed decision and both are FREE to our readers.
We sent written questionnaires to all eight candidates running for school board this cycle. Six responded with answers covering teacher pay, school safety, mental health, budget priorities, growth and more.
The answers include each candidates’ full responses so you can read every answer to every question for yourself. It’s also available to download and print.
You can view the full video from the forum, posted here, from the PEA Facebook page.
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Polk County School Board 2026 Candidate Questionnaire and Responses
Early voting runs Aug. 8 through Aug. 15. Election Day is Aug. 18. All registered Polk County voters can participate in school board races regardless of party affiliation. Verify your polling place and sample ballot at polkelections.gov.
The Citrus Tea does not endorse candidates and takes no editorial position on the outcome of these races. Coverage is based on the PEA Retired candidate forum held July 29, 2026, in Winter Haven and from the full responses to individual candidate questionnaires on the same 8 questions.
Sources: PEA Retired candidate forum, Winter Haven, July 29, 2026; Polk County Supervisor of Elections, polkelections.gov; Polk County Public Schools, polkschoolsfl.com; Florida Division of Elections, voterfocus.com; Polk Education Association Retired, polkea-retired.org
