Concordance discord: Lenny Curry pilloried for not signing education resolution

Two weeks ago, the Jacksonville City Council passed a resolution at the request of School Board member Ashley Smith-Juarez backing up its position that a change in state concordance testing changes would lower the city’s graduation rate.

Per WJCT, the new rules would raise minimum standardized test scores needed for graduation, but Mayor Lenny Curry objected to the resolution passed by the Council and the School Board.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Councimembers and a School Board member had their say about Curry’s divergence from what they saw as legislative will. His failure to sign kept the resolution from being effective during the debate and decision process on the state level.

Chief of Staff Brian Hughes noted that the Council resolution was passed “on the testimony of a single board member,” as Curry wrote in a letter to the Council..

Hughes met with Gov. Rick Scott‘s chief of staff and others, he said when asked by Councilman Garrett Dennis about whether he consulted with subject matter experts.

Hughes also noted that there were “local contacts,” but the State Board of Education was the ultimate contact, given that Council and the School Board were reacting to its edict.

Dennis said the impact of the bill would be experienced disproportionately by minority students on the Northside; Hughes countered that, four years from now when the new standards take effect, all students will be affected.

Dennis was swayed by Smith-Juarez describing the “economic impact” of the bill, he said, noting that poverty is the driver of myriad social malaises.

“It bothered me. It bothered a lot of people in my community,” Dennis said.

Hughes maintained his position, saying the mayor believed higher standards lead to better results.

Hughes also said that since the bill passed with a veto-proof majority, Curry didn’t veto it.

Councilwoman Katrina Brown noted that the non-signature meant that the bill did not sway the debate, critical since the bill was passed on an emergency basis.

School Board Chair Paula Wright said she sent communications to Curry and Hughes trying to get a conversation, but her efforts were unsuccessful.

“I was disappointed that our city’s leader had decided not to join you in supporting the board,” Wright said, noting that a “forwarded email” was how Wright and others learned about Curry’s position.

Curry did not consult the board, Wright said.

“Had he contacted us, we would have been happy to share … the effects this change has on his most vulnerable constituents,” Wright said.

“The new rule,” said Wright, eliminates the math portion of the state-created Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, which costs less than a dollar to administer, compared to the $60 fees for the SAT or ACT.

As WJCT reported,  a “State Board of Education presentation shows the Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska conducted a study on the alignment of the current accepted substitute scores. It found the P.E.R.T to be too easy, saying it measured ‘content knowledge expected of students in elementary or middle school’.”

Councilman Tommy Hazouri, a former Mayor and School Board member, agreed with Wright.

“800 kids will be left behind,” Hazouri said, urging more of a relationship between City Hall and the School Board.

Dennis pressed for a “commitment” from the Curry administration to meet with the School Board to “help our most vulnerable population.”

Hughes said he would be “happy to take the meeting.”

“You have my commitment,” the Chief of Staff said.

One dissenting voice: Councilman Al Ferraro, who noted that Council has no control over the School Board, citing concerns he had about overcrowding and school crossings that the School Board ignored.

“I’ve reached out to the School Board on many things,” Ferraro said. “You haven’t returned our calls.”