One of the reasons the mayor and city council have fought so brutally against the sales tax referendum is because they are pretty sure it would pass and they could not have that.
Revitalized schools and neighborhoods are to much of a threat to their plan to completely privatize Duval County. and they also know if they can run out the clock Tallahassee may pas some onerous law forcing a proportional split of any funds with charter schools.
They know the last two polls say there is between 56 and 70 percent support and they are quite wiling to sacrifice our schools and children upon the alter of privatization.
In the Times Union today the families at one Public School, Fishweir elementary said enough.
Revitalized schools and neighborhoods are to much of a threat to their plan to completely privatize Duval County. and they also know if they can run out the clock Tallahassee may pas some onerous law forcing a proportional split of any funds with charter schools.
They know the last two polls say there is between 56 and 70 percent support and they are quite wiling to sacrifice our schools and children upon the alter of privatization.
In the Times Union today the families at one Public School, Fishweir elementary said enough.
Fishweir Elementary School parents, speak out in support of facilities plan
We are parents of students who attend Fishweir Elementary School, and several of us attended the recent City Council meeting in which council members voted to withdraw the Duval County School Board’s proposed half-cent sales tax referendum.
City Councilwoman LeAnna Cumber kicked off the discussion by voicing her support for withdrawing the proposal. Cumber argued that the School Board has not been straightforward and noted specifically that Fishweir Elementary was not slated for upgrades until 11 years into the school district’s actual master plan.
Our own School Board representative, Charlotte Joyce, has likewise warned us that Fishweir will not be updated for a decade or more — as if that should diminish our support for the School Board’s plan to upgrade the district’s facilities.
We would like to state that we fully support the School Board’s plan and its timeline for building upgrades.
This isn’t about self-interest. This is about doing the right thing, which is why the sales tax funds should first be used to upgrade the schools that are in the worst condition.
We reject any attempts to divide us from our fellow parents across the Duval County Public Schools district.
And we reject any attempts to carve out a portion of the sales tax funds for charter schools on a per pupil basis.
The sales tax money should be used to bring the school buildings up to modern standards — and the charter school parents who live in our neighborhood agree.
The fact of the matter is that the voters have been and remain largely in support of the School Board’s plan. If only they were given the right to express this sentiment at the polls in November.
This letter was signed by more than 70 parents of Fishweir Elementary School students.
Friends our mayor and city council are willing to fight against children and schools getting what they need so their mega donors can get paid millions in public dollars and we shouldn't forget that for a second. They don't care about kids, they care about dollars going into the pockets of charter school owners pockets.
I heard Lenny on First Coast Connect for the first time ever. Of course it was limited to Dorian. I kept hoping Melissa would sneak in a school referendum question in at the end but it never happened. Would've been fun to hear his thoughts on his buddy Bowman's ultimatum to Dr. Greene in light of the circumstances.
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