teacher

dean of students

elementary school teacher

english teacher

instructional coach

Polk County Public Schools

If you have a Master's Degree you start at around 48k which is pretty great considering what other jobs start off with. Being an educator is always purpose-filled and there is never a doubt that we can make a difference in children's lives. However, the amount of disrespect, stress, harassment, and lack of support is exactly why no one wants to teach anymore. Your school will probably try and make you give up your planning period to sub in other classes since no one wants to substitute, let alone become a teacher. Our administrators are also stressed out, and everyone has to wear way too many hats that are beyond their job description, pay grade, and emotional capacity.  The institution and system of public education is a sinking ship that needs a serious transformation, or else the teacher deficit will only worsen. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
For the most part, the students. However, if you are male, do NOT work there. They discriminate against male teachers and the administration does NOT support men!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Bratty students and dominating parents with very weak administrators.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Highly critical and you are constantly under scrutiny if you are not born and raised in Polk County especially if you are a male.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Constant pressure to perform while being critically observed and criticized. Students are demanding and parents have unrealistic expectations with weak administrators constantly throwing you under the bus to cover their own jobs.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I had worked at Polk County Public Schools for more than a decade, and the best part of working there was probably LUNCH!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Probably the fact that very few people actually KNOW anything in terms of finding solutions to REAL problems. When real questions are asked, about the only reply ever heard is, "Oh, you'll need to ask so-and-so; I don't know anything about that."  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Both, very poor and CONSTANTLY changing.  During my employ, we had (physically) move more than FIVE (5) times to other locations.  Culture is terrible in terms of being "employee-centric."

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
One never knows, as it constantly changes from day to day!

Your opinion of the school district will be completely based on which school you work at. Polk County education took a major hit with the introduction of a plethora of charter schools in the area. This has created de facto segregation as only students who have parents who advocate for them will be placed in the charter school. This has made the public school system the schools of "last resort".

This system has put high pressure on the public schools as they are expected to keep pace with charters schools even though public schools have fewer resources, lower-achieving students, and a lack of parent involvement. If you are truly dedicated to working in a Title I school district and being challenged (from every direction) on a daily basis; this is the place for you.

I worked as a teacher and coach. Front the beginning there were problems: onboarding took a century. I quit my job thinking I'd start right away, just to not be cleared to work for another 2 weeks. Contacting HR is a nightmare. My salary was not fixed for a month. Teachers and other employees complain that their salaries are never right and / or corrected. Supervisors don't have any consideration for family life. If your kid is sick or you need time off for to take care of personal matters, TOUGH! You do not get separate personal / sick days. You get a certain amount of hours and if you go over, they write you up and don't care. Expectations as a teacher are excessively high while support for being a teacher are depressingly low. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great work environment. Wish the salaries could be higher to accommodate teachers but overall a nice place to work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part is not enough pay. Every teacher I know has a second job which makes it harder to perform the current duties of this one. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I have no problem with the work environment it’s very welcoming and my principal is the absolute best. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
As a teacher we are required to work 7.75 hrs per day which goes by fast when you are teaching children.

Working for a Polk County Public School was my first job out of College.  It was a great learning experience and I'm thankful for the opportunities it had provided.  The culture was great, in school I specifically worked at and in the District.  The hardest part of the job was learning all the "ins and outs" of what teaching really is.  They don't teach you how to handle certain things in college;  how to react when the police come into your room looking for a gun or how to sleep at night  when a students comes to you crying about what's going on at home...  those where hard lessons to learn.  The most enjoyable part of working in Polk County was, again, the kids.

Learn while you teach others ib your field. This is the positive. The negative is micro-management by managers whi dont understand the scope and volume of the Personnel positions. 

Lots of back stabbing and a true disconnect between management and amongst departments. When there are mistakes made, what management wants is to find a scapegoat rather than getting to the root of the program for correction and keep good employees trained better, or accepting mistakes made by them is a tool for future better performance.

You are constantly overworked and underpaid. Principal's expect you to do everything and anything and forget that you are human. They don't respect you as an educator or as a person. Throughout the pandemic I risked my life to do my job because I love teaching and I loved the kids. Despite this I was tossed aside at the principal's convenience without cause. Zero Job Security. Save yourself the mental toll and just don't become a teacher. 

If you work for this company they will keep you guessing on what you are expected to do. It's amazing that following the state curriculum is considered "inappropriate" and not vetted. Yet, it's approved by the state. You'll need to handle behavior problems without support. You'll be accused of not asking for help. It's always your fault. They allow hostile parents to berate and harass you. It is not pleasant.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 9 salaries reported	$48,500 per year
Dean of students 18 salaries reported	$48,000 per year
Elementary school teacher 22 salaries reported	$42,362 per year
English teacher 3 salaries reported	$48,833 per year
Instructional coach 3 salaries reported	$51,833 per year

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