Jacksonville City Council expected to take up half-cent sales tax for school improvements

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Update, 2/24/2020: The Duval County School Board has approved a settlement with the City of Jacksonville.

On Monday, the Jacksonville City Council is expected to take the first step toward letting voters decide on a nearly $2 billion plan to fix the county’s aging schools.

Duval County Public Schools agreed to drop its lawsuit against the city if the council puts the half-cent sales tax on the November ballot.

DCPS said new facilities could start being built as soon as 2021.

“Is it a shame that it had to go this far?” Action News Jax reporter Russell Colburn asked.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to get to this point,” said School Board Chair Warren Jones. “Our goal is to let the voters decide.”

DCPS said Duval County’s seven% sales tax goes to the state, with the state then funding just their operational cost. That includes their budget, teacher and staff salaries, books and more.

DCPS said the half-penny tax would cover safety and security infrastructure improvements, deferred maintenance issues, closing and combining schools where necessary, building two new schools in the southeast and southwest parts of the county, and reducing portables.

DCPS said the tax would fund all this over 15 years.

Jacksonville parents like Paula Mickler are happy to see the half-cent sales tax moving forward.

“We need to take care of our kids,” Mickler said. “That’s our number one. That’s our future. It should be our number one priority, but politics gets in the way. But I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

The proposal will likely be brought before the City Council Tuesday and could go to a vote as soon as March 24.

Jacksonville City Council expected to take up half-cent sales tax for school improvements Jacksonville City Council expected to take up half-cent sales tax for school improvements

Original story from 2/19/2020 below:

The Jacksonville City Council will discuss Tuesday the possibility of putting a half-cent sales tax referendum to help fix aging Duval County Public Schools on the November 2020 ballot.

In addition to the half-cent sales tax measure that is set to be discussed, city spokesperson Nikki Kimbleton said in a statement that the council is also set to discuss another item that would work as a settlement between the city and DCPS. That item states that if the council votes to put the sales tax referendum on the ballot, DCPS will dismiss any pending litigation against the city.

Here is the full statement from Kimbleton:

"Mayor Lenny Curry is working with City Council members to move forward and secure necessary funding for public schools in Duval County. The mayor has always agreed that more funding and resources are required to improve education for Jacksonville students.

"‘Since this topic was brought up for community discussion last year, I have always maintained that 2020 was the best time to focus on this crucial issue. Now is the time to work together for the benefit of Jacksonville’s children,’ said Mayor Curry.

"At next Tuesday’s City Council meeting, two measures will be added to the agenda. One to place the school tax referendum on the November ballot and a second that would work as a settlement between the City Council and DCPS. Basically, if the council votes to place the school tax on the November ballot, DCPS will dismiss any pending litigation.

“Mayor Curry added that he wants to be helpful in answering questions that the City Council, citizens, the charter community and stakeholders may have regarding this issue. He is hopeful that our community can rally together in a unified way to provide this support for our students, faculty and schools.”

DCPS Board Chair Warren Jones sent the following statement:

“I am greatly appreciative of Mayor Curry and his administration for being open to dialog on the referendum to provide all Jacksonville students functional school buildings built for safety and learning. We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Mayor, his administration, the superintendent and city council members. We are actively negotiating an agreement we hope to bring to the School Board and City Council as soon as possible.“

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