Manny Diaz, Jr. Commissioner of education at Florida Department of Education | https://www.flbog.edu/member/21325/
Manny Diaz, Jr. Commissioner of education at Florida Department of Education | https://www.flbog.edu/member/21325/
Data showed that Polk County welcomed a total of 116,031 students at the time. Among them, Black students comprised 20.9% of the student body to be the third most represented ethnicity in the county. The most represented ethnicity was Hispanic, accounting for 42% of the students (48,725), followed by white students who made up 32.4% of the student population (37,581).
Gov. DeSantis has approved an education budget of over $28 billion for the 2024-25 school year. The new budget includes more than $1 billion earmarked exclusively for teacher salaries to better address the teacher shortage the state faces.
According to the National Education Association (NEA), Florida ranks 50th in the U.S. in terms of teacher salaries, only ahead of West Virginia.
| District | No. of Black Students | Total District Enrollment | % of Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County School District | 24,270 | 116,031 | 20.9% |
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