Duval County School Board, point us in the right direction please

I think the board and I are looking at this impending budget crisis from two different perspectives, them what to cut and me how to prevent the cuts.

The blog had 900 hits in all of July; it had 1300 on Monday which tells me people will notice if it is important enough to them, which too many sports are.

Let’s face facts, not enough people care about cutting the arts and electives because we have been doing so for years and it hasn’t made one bit of difference with the public, The same sadly goes even for education in general. Now threaten to cut sports and everybody if talking
I don’t think we should be cutting our education budgets and we have to draw a line and say no more.

However the legislature isn’t going to do the right thing because it is the right thing or because the district implores them to or I write about it in my blog. They are only going to do the right thing if enough citizens demand they do the right thing. Citizens being loud and unhappy, which they should be, is what it is going to take.

The school board however has a big role to play. They have to point the people in the right direction, they have to let the public know it’s not okay to give tax breaks to corporations and millionaires while at the same time slashing education budgets. Everything they say should start with that. That is the narrative that they need to create.

I wish the board would say, before one art class is cut or one job is lost we will cut all extracurricular activities including sports. We don’t want to, we realize how important athletics are but this is the position we have been put in by a governor and legislature who either don’t care about or understand education.

Friends the governor and legislature aren’t going to do the right thing because we hope they do.

I wish the board luck because unless they act decisively and soon a whole lot of that is what we are going to need.

Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher

Please contact your representative and ask them not to slash the education budget while giving tax breaks to millionaires.

Janet H. Adkins, District 12
(904) 491-3664 * (Fax) 491-3666
E-mail: mailto:janet.adkins@myfloridahouse.gov

Daniel Davis, District 13
(904) 573-4994 * (Fax) 573-4996
E-mail: daniel.davis@myfloridahouse.gov

Reggie Fullwood, District 15
(904) 353-2180 * (Fax) 353-2182
E-mail: reggie.fullwood@myfloridahouse.gov

Mia Jones, District 14
(904) 924-1615
E-Mail: mia.jones@myfloridahouse.gov

Charles McBurney, District 16
(904) 359-6090
E-mail: mailto:charles.mcburney@myfloridahouse.gov

Lake Ray, District 17
(904) 723-5300
E-mail: lake.ray@myfloridahouse.gov

Ronald "Doc" Renuart, District 18
(904) 270-2550
E-mail: ronald.renuart@myfloridahouse.gov

Mike Weinstein, District 19
(904) 213-3005 * (Fax) 213-3007
E-mail: mike.weinstein@myfloridahouse.gov

FLORIDA SENATE
Anthony C. "Tony" Hill, District 1
(904) 924-1646 * (Fax) 924-1648
E-mail: hill.tony.web@flsenate.gov

Stephen R. Wise, District 5
(904) 381-6000 * (Fax) 381-6040
E-mail: wise.stephen.web@flsenate.gov

John Thrasher, District 8
(904) 727-3600 * (Fax) 727-3603
E-mail: thrasher.john.web@flsenate.gov