Florida District Sees Glut Of Teachers Departing

The Lakeland (FL) Ledger (9/12, Green) reports on an exodus of teachers from the Polk County, Florida, school district, noting that many teachers are leaving to teach at local charters or neighboring districts. The Ledger adds that "union officials say frozen salaries, talk of furloughs and state mandates are causing an exodus of many of the district's 12,000 employees. The biggest impact to the Polk County School District is new legislation that ties student performance to teacher salaries, said Marianne Capoziello, the president of the Polk Education Association. She said there are a lot of teachers who have left the state and left education completely."