Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2017

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry had a symbiotic relationship with former Duval Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, including advocating for Vitti’s job security at one point when Vitti was under fire. Vitti has moved on to Detroit. And now Curry is building relationships anew, as exemplified Wednesday morning when the Mayor met with current Interim Superintendent Pat Willis and School […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 4, 2017

Interesting times in Duval County, where State Rep. Jason Fischer has been calling for an audit of Duval County Public Schools. And it appears there is a showdown imminent between the Duval Delegation and the Mayor’s Office on one side and the Duval County School District on the other. In a letter sent Thursday to the […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 27, 2017

Last fiscal year, the Duval County School District spent $21 million over budget — leading to requests for a “deeper dive” into the numbers, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Also seeking a “deeper dive” — current State Rep. Jason Fischer, a former member of the Duval County School Board. However, that deeper dive is not welcomed […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2016

Thursday saw a host of Northeast Florida stakeholders from the education, transportation, and healthcare sectors address the First Coast Legislative Delegation at Jacksonville University’s Public Policy Institute. Legislators from well beyond the First Coast, such as Gainesville Sen. Keith Perry, Lake City Rep. Elizabeth Porter, and Palatka Rep. Bobby Payne, are included in the delegation, which is a […]

Melissa RossJune 20, 2016

In a large, urban school district like Duval County — where fully half the kids in the public schools are on free or reduced lunch — poverty is real, and widespread. The achievement gap remains stubborn and formidable. And one of the many obstacles kids in poor districts have to learning is the infamous “digital […]

Melissa RossMay 16, 2016

As criticism mounts toward the Obama administration’s new directive on transgender students and public school bathrooms, Jacksonville’s schools chief is pointing out that public schools in Duval County have quietly been allowing transgender kids to use the bathroom they feel most comfortable with for several years now. “We have been problem-solving on these issues for […]

Melissa RossFebruary 11, 2016

Newly released public records show that Duval County School Board member Connie Hall would like to see Superintendent Nikolai Vitti fired. Hall texted that sentiment in a message she sent this past fall to a school district employee, the records reveal. Records of emails and texts of Hall and two other Duval School Board members […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 17, 2015

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The phrase “pre-9/11 mentality” is usually uttered as a foreign policy pejorative. Yet in Duval County, one thing that hasn’t changed since before Sept. 11, 2001 is the pay of substitute teachers, which has withstood the test of time since March of that year. This doesn’t sit well with one group, apparently: longtime substitute teachers. […]

Melissa RossAugust 17, 2015

As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues to take heat over calling Common Core education standards “poisonous,” Duval County’s superintendent is taking a more positive spin about the new state curriculum being unveiled this fall. “We’re going to see another level of instruction at the elementary level, especially when it comes to writing and reading,” Superintendent Nikolai […]

Melissa RossJuly 15, 2015

With bold proposals out this week for improving student achievement in urban Duval County, Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti acknowledges: “It’s a tough job.” The challenge is one of scale,” Vitti said during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect. “It’s undeniable we have pockets of excellence even in very tough schools. We’re seeing improvement, the […]

Tag: Duval County Public Schools

Lenny Curry urges Duval Schools to retain Interim Supe through academic year

Kim Daniels becomes first Democrat to call for Duval Schools audit

State legislators press for Duval School District audit, as district resists

First Coast legislators mull education, transportation, healthcare needs

Duval County Public Schools selling laptops for $50 to narrow ‘digital divide’

Nikolai Vitti: “fear factor” involved with transgender bathroom issue

“Fire him now!” texted Duval School Board member; Nikolai Vitti calls it “hostile work environment”

In Duval, substitute teacher pay is old-school

Nikolai Vitti: Florida Standards will be “another level of instruction”

Nikolai Vitti: Standardized testing “exacerbated problems in schools around the country”