by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Jacksonville Community Council Inc. issues its “Quality of Life Progress Report” this morning and the indicators show “red flags” in areas of education, employment, race relations, health and local government.
Red flags indicate that work is needed to reverse the trend, although the economic recession raised some of the flags.
The 18-page report also issues gold stars in education, the environment and social well-being.
Gold stars indicate improvement.
JCCI is scheduled to present what it calls its “yardstick for community improvement” at 10:30 a.m. today at the Main Library. It is the 26th annual edition of the indicators.
The report is supposed to be a catalyst for change and “provoke civic and elected leaders and other stakeholders to enact positive change” to improve the community, according to the document summary.
“Indicators that are meaningful and useful reflect a combination of idealism (which we would like to measure) and pragmatism (what we are able to measure),” stated Hugh Greene, chair of the 2010 Quality of Life Progress Report review committee, in the summary.
Greene also will be installed tonight as the 2011 chair of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In the summary, Greene also stated that the report has been used for planning and evaluation by decision-makers in government, private business, nonprofit organizations and community groups.
Among the red flags and gold stars given to indicators:
• Achieving educational excellence. A red flag was posted to indicators measuring the high school graduation rate and the reading proficiency at the 10th-grade level. While the graduation rate increased for the fourth consecutive year, Duval County still graduates only two-thirds of its students within four years.
“Worse yet, only one in three 10th graders in Jacksonville public schools is able to read at grade level,” said the summary.
At the same time, JCCI gave a gold star for the third consecutive increase in higher education degrees.
• Growing a vibrant economy. Despite the national recession having been declared over, JCCI gave three red flags to the area’s economy. Jacksonville’s unemployment rate, the percentage of households paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing and the lower bed tax and sales tax collections all earned red flags. No gold stars were issued.
• Preserving the natural environment. No red flags were issued, and a gold star was awarded for the third consecutive year for the decline in average daily water use.
• Promoting social well-being. Reflecting the recession’s effect, JCCI gave red flags to the percentage of people who consider racism a problem in Duval County and to the growing homeless population.
At the same time, the decline in the number of children in foster care earned a gold star.
• Enjoying arts, recreation and culture. No red flags or gold stars.
• Sustaining a healthy community. Increases in new HIV cases earned a red flag.
• Maintaining responsive government. The percentage of people who believe they can influence government declined for the fourth year in a row, receiving a red flag. Also noted was the decline, as a result of the November election, in the number of women and the number of people of color who were elected.
• Moving around efficiently and safely. No red flags or gold stars.
• Keeping the community safe. No red flags or gold stars.
The indicators are measured within the five-county Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.
For more information about the qualify of life progress report, visit www.jcci.org.
356-2466