School board member. The school board is the governing body of a public school district. It hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the district budget, sets policies on curriculum, discipline, attendance boundaries and facilities, and approves contracts and collective bargaining agreements. Day-to-day operations belong to the superintendent; the board sets direction and holds the administration accountable.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Kay Fields, is on the ballot.
Florida › Polk County › Polk County School Board District 5
DECIDED August 18: incumbent Kay Fields won outright with 57.3 percent (50,007 votes) over Sam Neelam, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
Nonpartisan Incumbent
Per the LkldNow's race coverage.
Kay Fields is president and CEO of Girls Inc. of Lakeland and the incumbent, serving on the board since 2002; if reelected this would be her final term under Florida's term-limit law, per LkldNow's race coverage.
Nonpartisan
Per LkldNow's race coverage.
Neelam founded Mentour Corporation and Odin Group and serves as a trustee at Florida Polytechnic University and Florida TaxWatch, per the campaign site. He previously worked as a software engineer at AT&T, Merrill Lynch, Lucent Technologies, and Citigroup, per the campaign site.
$31,416 raised · county campaign-finance filings
Who is running for Polk County School Board District 5 in 2026?
The Polk County School Board District 5 race was decided at the 2026 primary - Kay Fields won the seat - and does not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. 2 candidates were on the primary ballot: Kay Fields and Sam Neelam. Candidate information follows official Polk County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
When is the Polk County School Board District 5 election in Florida?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Florida are on the Florida election hub at theballotbrief.com.
How do I see my exact Polk County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.
Candidate roster from official Polk County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified September 25, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Florida election office, or see the full Polk County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.
7 tracked races in Polk County, Florida. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.