A.G. Gancarski
A Jacksonville Republican lawmaker is proposing a local bill that would end the direct election of Duval County School Board members.
Local Bill J-1 was sent over to the Duval County School Board on Monday by state Rep. Jason Fischer.
Fischer was once a member of the elected School Board, but frequently found himself at odds with the prevailing consensus.
His bill would change the School Board radically, with mayoral appointees replacing elected members.
The legislation would change the city charter on the state level, and would also change district lines to make them more equal in terms of population.
Fischer is a prominent ally of Mayor Lenny Curry, who endorsed the Mandarin Republican as a candidate.
Curry has been under fire from advocates of a 2019 sales surtax referendum for public school capital needs. He’s been framed as working to obstruct the will of those who want to vote the matter up or down in 2019, rather than November 2020 (a timeframe he says he prefers).
The bill that would remove direct election of School Board members will be seen as provocative in some quarters, and happens at a time when the local Charter Review Commission will be considering its own changes to the city’s foundational document.
The 2009 final report from that panel argued in favor of mayoral appointee of School Board members.
The Mayor appointing members would increase accountability, went the argument.
The Chairman of the 2009 Charter Review Commission?
State Rep. Wyman Duggan, who represents Westside Jacksonville’s HD 15.
The bill will be voted up or down at the October meeting of the Duval Delegation.
Duggan and Fischer are two of the members of that body, which includes Republican Reps. Cord Byrd and Clay Yarborough, Democratic Reps. Tracie Davis and Kim Daniels, Republican Sen. Aaron Bean, and Democratic Sen. Audrey Gibson.
7 comments
Frankie M.
August 5, 2019 at 12:24 pm
Increase accountability to whom? The mayor?? If you can’t beat em at the ballot box change the game! Ironic that it was proposed by one of the worst school board members in the history of Duval County. I’m sure it will be supported by Francis Scott Shine who coincidentally serves on the Charter Revision Committee. (Francis was almost as bad as Jason when he was on the school board luckily for Jax he stopped attending meetings when his mancrush left for Detroit.)
In the vernacular of our esteemed leader…don’t hate the playas change the rules of the game. This way LC won’t need some bogus GC opinion to usurp the school board’s authority. They’ll already be in his pocket thanks to a crooked legislator.
AnnM
August 5, 2019 at 3:43 pm
HELL. NO. NEVER!
Karen Bracken
August 5, 2019 at 4:18 pm
The people better organize and stop this. We tried to warn people that with the advent of Charters getting rid of elected school boards would happen. This is how the destroy your voice. What is next? Do away with elected city council and county commision……YEP!!
Kathy
August 6, 2019 at 7:18 am
Absolutely not!!! We need less interference from the Curry Coop and/or any administration. The elections for school board are non partisan and they need to stay that way. More rethuglican process… Break it, scream broken and then privatize.
Frankie M.
August 5, 2019 at 8:50 pm
Maybe we can get rid of term limits for mayors next? LC for life!! Gotta admit…it has a nice ring to it. Also who drafted that bill? I’m guessing it wasn’t Jason Fischer. Looks like Jason Gabriel’s handiwork to me.
Lynn
August 7, 2019 at 12:32 pm
The fact that this is being proposed is disturbinf, take the voice of the people when it’s not what you wan6to hear. This sh6be disturbing to all elected officials! Are we going full communist or what?
Sonja Fitch
August 11, 2019 at 4:32 pm
“Looting Lenny” wants the money and power. “Looting Lenny” wants to be a dictator like pedophile racist zzz Trump!
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