Superintendent says BOCC followed the law, invites commissioners to learn district operations

Superintendent Hyde used his Nov. 18 report to clarify the county commission's recent action to place a school millage referendum on the Nov. 2026 ballot and to respond to criticism from county officials.

Hyde said the Polk County Board of County Commissioners "did not vote to raise taxes" but complied with Florida statute 1001.371 by allowing the referendum to proceed to voters. He noted staff coordination with BOCC staff on required statutory steps and said the district's vote had been covered in local media. Hyde expressed concern about a narrative that commissioners would be blamed for a future tax increase and contended that such characterizations were "flawed."

Hyde also pushed back on a commissioner’s assertion that the district is "broken," listing recent indicators of improvement: the district grade rising to a B, preliminary data suggesting a further rise in graduation rates for 2024–25, growth in career and technical programs, stronger AP/IB participation and industry certifications, expanded early childhood initiatives and an 88% staff retention figure cited by Hyde. He emphasized the district educates more than 116,000 students and employs nearly 14,000 staff, and invited county commissioners to participate in a Polk County Public Schools 'cadre' to learn more about district operations.

The superintendent framed the referendum as a voter decision and urged transparent, factual discussion between elected bodies moving forward.