A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2019
9min859
The vote likely would be Nov. 2020, should the City Council approve.
Tag: Ashley Smith-JuarezImage via AP.
A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2019A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 20179min538
A rainy Monday morning saw the often fractious Duval County School Board move forward in suing the state of Florida. At issue: HB 7069, the “Schools of Hope” bill, which would divert capital dollars to charter schools from local schools. Multiple urban districts — Broward, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach — are already in the […]
A.G. GancarskiApril 21, 2017
2min327
The Duval County School Board moved Friday toward transition from the superintendency of Nikolai Vitti, who is moving on to Detroit. In a special board meeting Friday morning in a mostly empty chambers, the board discussed next steps … even as reliable sources say that Gov. Rick Scott would like to see Clay County Superintendent Addison Davis (Vitti’s […]
A.G. GancarskiMarch 22, 2017
7min277
Before Wednesday’s meeting of the Duval County School Board, Chair Paula Wright cautioned that “no news” would come out of the conclave. However, with the real possibility that Superintendent Nikolai Vitti may leave Jacksonville for Detroit, a city “in his DNA,” the board needed to have a sunshine discussion to discuss next steps. Notable: Vitti was absent, […]
A.G. GancarskiNovember 29, 20162min668
The Duval County School Board, when fully staffed, is a seven-person body. However, just one resignation or absence can turn the DCSB into a six-person panel. And, in the event of a controversial or closely contested issue, a 3-3 tie is quite likely. The board wasn’t at full strength earlier this year, after Rep. Jason Fischer […]
A.G. GancarskiSeptember 23, 201618min415
For the Duval County School Board, the slogan might be “wake me when September ends.” Earlier in the month, the board evaluated Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, deeming him “effective,” even though below the surface questions loomed about widening achievement gaps inside demographic categories of the student population. From there, board chair Ashley Smith-Juarez, according to Vitti, scheduled a meeting […]
A.G. GancarskiSeptember 21, 2016
5min524
Earlier this week, the narrative was that Duval County School Board chair Ashley Smith-Juarez had called a meeting Friday of the board to discuss the termination of Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. Since that news came out, some developments have happened. Community leaders pressed Smith-Juarez to reconsider her intransigence; by Wednesday afternoon, she had backpedaled, contravening what she […]
A.G. GancarskiSeptember 21, 2016
11min371
Despite the maelstrom regarding the future of Duval County School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, Jacksonville City Council President Lori Boyer vowed that the Wednesday meeting between the school board and the council would steer clear of Vitti’s employment controversy, addressing more ordinary topics like school concurrency, hazardous walking conditions, and charter school development. The meeting did avoid the Vitti […]
A.G. GancarskiSeptember 19, 2016
4min227
The Duval County School Board has a special meeting slated for Friday morning; the topic, broadly, is “governance and administration.” What does that mean? School Board member Scott Shine believes this could mean the end of the tenure of Superintendent Nikolai Vitti. The board member who called the meeting, Ashley Smith-Juarez, has been a critic of Vitti’s communication […]
A.G. GancarskiJune 24, 2016
3min456
Two powerful incumbents on the Duval County School Board got through the qualifying deadline without drawing opposition Friday, ensuring their re-election. Cheryl Grymes, targeted by at least one enterprising activist attempting to plant stories maligning her for taking money from charter school king Gary Chartrand, drew no opposition in School Board District 1. Grymes was criticized […]