by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
As it reads under the current City Charter, employees of the Duval County School Board cannot simultaneously serve on City Council. However, while the Duval County Legislative Delegation reviews a bill to change that, several Council members have already expressed the need for an amendment, most notably Council member Mia Jones.
“The way it reads now, no one employed by the School Board can serve on the City Council at the same time, with the exception of certificated employees, teachers,” said Jones, who recently drafted a local bill in support the change. “Obviously board members can’t serve, but they’re also excluding administrators and everyone else employed in every other capacity.”
Jones, a former School Board director of minority of business affairs who was forced to resign after being elected this year, said that just doesn’t make any sense.
“My problem is that they can allow a teacher to be out of the classroom for the extended amount of time a City Council member has to work,” said Jones, “but they won’t allow some one else employed by the School Board with a much more flexible schedule to do the same thing.
“All the charter revision will do is simply allow employees of the Duval County School Board to serve.”
Further prompting the need for a charter revision is Jones assertion that the School Board’s budget is not approved by the City Council and that it also maintains its own human resources and purchasing departments.
“Technically,” she said, “the School Board is really more like a State organization. The Council really has no control over it.”
Jones said Jacksonville is unique in the restrictions it places on School Board employees.
“Specifically,” said Jones, who has no plans to return to the School Board whether or not the amendment passes, “I know situations similar to mine are not uncommon throughout the state. However, it turned out to be a problem in Jacksonville.
“Now that I’m elected, I have the opportunity to address a poorly written law that doesn’t properly address the people it’s supposed to be serving. I’m trying to help those people who don’t have a voice.”