JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville City Council member Raul Arias says he is ready to move forward on a measure that would send Duval County Public Schools\u2019 1-mill property tax renewal to November\u2019s ballot \u2014 and a standing-room-only community meeting Friday helped push him there.<\/p>\n
Arias hosted a public meeting Friday morning at City Hall to discuss the renewal before a full council vote expected Tuesday. What was supposed to be a modest gathering turned into something much bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey picked the smallest room,\u201d Arias said. \u201cIt was a packed house. People were standing up. It showed that the community knew that it cares about this, it\u2019s important to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave everybody at least about 25 minutes of time to just voice their concerns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Coming into the week, Arias said he had significant questions about the measure. The last time a similar vote came before the council was four years ago \u2014 before his time on the body.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all new to me,\u201d he said. \u201cLast time this was voted on was four years ago. So myself, I never had an opportunity to even learn more about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
What the millage renewal means for teachers<\/p>\n
One of the key clarifications Arias says he took away from the week\u2019s conversations was what the millage extension would and would not do for educators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis mill extension will not give necessarily an increase to the salaries because that\u2019s set by the state, by the governor,\u201d Arias said. \u201cBut really what this does is it provides teachers a bonus \u2014 an annual bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arias said those bonuses extend beyond classroom teachers to faculty, staff, athletic programs, arts programming, and DCPS charter schools.<\/p>\n
Arias said one attendee at the meeting put the impact into real-dollar terms that resonated with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said that these bonuses are roughly around $400 or $500 a month,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that makes a difference on her supplying her students.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that some staff members are earning as little as $15 an hour and that even modest increases matter greatly to working families.<\/p>\n
What Tuesday\u2019s vote means<\/p>\n
Arias was careful to frame the upcoming council vote in precise terms \u2014 something he said he wants the public to understand clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, the way I see it is \u2014 we\u2019re taking a vote on letting the community decide on what they want to do,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not raising or extending the taxes. Just letting the voters the opportunity to vote and voice their opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arias outlined the two-step procedural path ahead. First, Council President Kevin Carrico would need to discharge the ordinance from the finance committee \u2014 a step Carrico has indicated he expects to happen. Then, the full council would vote on whether to approve sending the measure to the November ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf given the opportunity, I don\u2019t see why I wouldn\u2019t be making that motion,\u201d Arias said.<\/p>\n
Backdrop: A stalled measure, a push for urgency<\/p>\n
The finance committee deferred the ordinance earlier this week, drawing sharp criticism from teachers, parents, and school district leaders. The Duval County School Board voted 6-1 in March to send the renewal to city council.<\/p>\n
The 1-mill tax generates approximately $121 million a year. It is not a tax increase \u2014 it would maintain the current rate. For a home valued at $300,000, the tax amounts to about $300 a year.<\/p>\n
Mayor Donna Deegan said she does not believe the council has grounds to delay the measure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe role of the council, in what I\u2019ve been told, is to simply be in a ministerial and managerial role \u2014 just making that request happen,\u201d Deegan said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t think council has a role here beyond saying \u2018this is what you want, we\u2019ll put it on the ballot.\u2019 I don\u2019t really understand the debate.\u201d<\/p>\n
John Meeks, a teacher and first vice president of Duval Teachers United, warned that continued delays put educators at risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the only result of these delays could be the endangerment of our teachers\u2019 well-being,\u201d Meeks said. \u201cThere\u2019s no increase. It\u2019s just a keeping of the status quo, which has allowed our school system to have the A grade that it has today. I don\u2019t think we can afford to go backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tiffany Clark, a parent and advocate with Parents Who Lead, said the situation has become unnecessarily complicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is getting tied up in a way that it shouldn\u2019t,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThis is only about teachers and that\u2019s it, and that is where the focus needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said the district is working through the procedural implications of the deferral.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the next several days, we will consult with council and our attorneys to understand what this deferral means procedurally and how to determine a path for success moving forward,\u201d Bernier said. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to work on behalf of our teachers, school police, and other staff \u2014 all who rely on the millage to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n
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