Jacksonville’s political establishment pours $370,000 into school sales tax campaign

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The push to institute a half-cent sales tax for Duval County school capital needs got more momentum last month, with $370,000 going to one of two political committees supporting the effort.

Together for All Our Students political committee, chaired by Eric Roberson, raised $370,000 in May, its first month established.

Roberson is known to political watchers as the treasurer for numerous GOP political committees, including, but not limited to, those related to Mayor Lenny Curry and various politicians and causes in the second-term Republican’s orbit.

Curry, who helped to spearhead resistance to the push in 2019 until the state Legislature approved “per-pupil sharing” of proceeds between charter schools and traditional public schools, is on board this time around as there will be a “per-pupil” cost carveout for charters. And so too are his donors.

The biggest check of all came from charter school proponent Gary Chartrand, who ponied up $100,000 of the total.

Curry offered an ironclad endorsement for the school tax push in April and reiterated that on Twitter Wednesday, as part of a series of ameliorating tweets seemingly designed to dampen tensions in the protest-rocked city.

“As we organize and put together the needed resources, I am looking forward to us securing the revenue needed to invest in every school in every neighborhood,” Curry said.

The main committee for the push had a slower May.

The Duval Citizens for Better Schools political committee, chaired by School Board member Warren Jones, raised over $27,000 in May but spent over $22,000 off that on consultant fees. The committee has $203,000 on hand.

Friday saw an announcement of a $200,000 matching grant from Wayne Weaver and Delores Barr Weaver, former owners of the local National Football League franchise.

If the committee raises $200,000 more in addition to the Weaver cash, they are in prime position to message without any real institutionalized resistance.

Though the committees have the same aim, expect two different funding sources for each. Some have complained that the Jones committee is spending too much on fees for consultants and the like.