OFFICE OF
THE CITY COUNCIL
CHERYL L. BROWN 117 WEST
DUVAL STREET,
DIRECTOR 4TH
FLOOR, CITY HALL
OFFICE (904) 630-1452
FAX (904) 630-2906
E-MAIL: CLBROWN@coj.net
JOINT CITY COUNCIL/SCHOOL BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
June 11, 2012
1:00 p.m.
Location: City Council Chamber, 1st floor, City
Hall –
In attendance: Council Members Stephen Joost (President), Greg Anderson, Bill Bishop, Lori Boyer, Doyle Carter (arr. 1:45), John Crescimbeni, Bill Gulliford, Warren Jones (arr. 1:33), Jim Love, Robin Lumb, Don Redman (arr. 1:10), Matt Schellenberg, Clay Yarborough
School Board Members Betty Burney (Chair), Martha Barrett, Becky Couch, W.C. Gentry, Fel Lee, Tommy Hazouri, Paula Wright
Excused: Council Members Richard Clark, Reggie Brown, Kimberly Daniels, E. Denise Lee
Also: School Superintendent Ed Pratt Dannals; Steve Rohan – Office of General Counsel; Steve Cassada – Council Staff Services; Jeff Clements – Council Research; David Chapman – Financial News and Daily Record
Meeting Convened: 1:06 p.m.
President Joost convened the meeting and asked all the members of the City Council and School Board to introduce themselves. School Board Chair Betty Burney said that every DCPS student and family is represented by both a school board member and several city council members. The School Board wants to highlight the good things that are happening in the public school system and emphasize that there a positive developments in more than just the well-known academic magnet schools.
Two videos were shown. The first highlighted the high level academic enrichment offerings available in various schools, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Early College program (joint enrollment in high school and community college), Advanced Placement and honors courses, and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. There is an academic acceleration program of some kind at every high school in the county. The second video, produced by students at the Frank Peterson Academies, highlighted the school district’s career academy offerings, including the automotive, aviation, cosmetology, culinary arts, early childhood education, commercial art, television production and web design academies.
Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals introduced a number of district staff involved in the enrichment programs. He noted that Duval County has the highest graduation standards in the state, and said that other counties will have to catch up to our level due to state mandates in the next year. There are many opportunities to connect AP academic coursework with the career academy curricula. He said that the Jacksonville Children’s Commission has been a big help to the school district in achieving its mission of serving the community’s children. The JCC continues to be a valuable partner in several areas: 1) early childhood education and preparation for school readiness (along with the Urban League and Early Learning Coalition); 2) TEAM UP after-school centers (utilizing federal grants); 3) summer programs combining summer camp fun with academic enrichment; and 4) the Jacksonville Journey’s Alternative to Out-of-school Suspensions (ATOS) program, which has helped lead to a measurable reduction in juvenile crime and arrests.
Chairwoman Burney noted that the school system has coordinated programs for academic enrichment within feeder schools systems, so that age-appropriate versions of the same enrichment program are offered from elementary to middle to high schools within a feeder track. She also invited council members to help her re-start the lapsed Chat and Chew program that took School Board and City Council members to various schools to eat lunch with students and talk about their interests and concerns.
Q & A Session
Q: President Joost asked if the Frank Peterson Academies can do commercial video production work to earn money for the school. A: Public schools are limited in the amount of for-profit work they could undertake, but perhaps their services could be offered to the not-for-profit sector which would be appreciative of the good quality work they do.
Q: Council Member Gulliford asked how much private industry contributes to the career academies. A: They contribute greatly to career academy advisory boards, donate equipment and supplies, and provide industry-specific guest speakers, among other activities.
Q: Council Member Jones said the Council sometimes hears complaints that the school system no longer offer apprenticeship training programs for students who don’t plan to go to college. A: There are building trades apprenticeship programs at A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology and Englewood High School.
Council Member Redman urged more continuous cooperation between the City Council and School Board. He has served for years on School Advisory Committees (SACs) and urges other council members to do the same.
Council Member Schellenberg said that he has contacted all of the public and private schools in his district and offer his services as a speaker on the subject of civics. He thinks more students need a good understanding of what’s going on in their community.
Council Member Bishop echoed the call for more of these joint meetings. Both bodies need to understand the other’s issues and problems. He reiterated Mr. Redman’s suggestion about becoming a member of a school advisory committee. He served on the SACs for his children’s schools and found it a valuable learning experience.
School Board Member Wright said the district has 190 schools and the School Board could help coordinate council member visits to schools. President Joost thought that an organized, coordinated effort would be very helpful.
Q: Council Member Love asked if there are waiting lists for the early college program and if more such programs are needed. A: The district would love to offer more, but a big consideration is FSCJ’s capacity to handle more dual-enrollment students. They currently have one program in each of the four quadrants of the city.
School Board Member Hazouri said the district spends $50 million per year on transportation, so getting more enrichment programs located throughout the city will help cut down on transportation expenses. He advocated joint City-School District development of shared facilities like parks, playgrounds, libraries and the like.
Council Member Boyer said that she had called the school district to ask about attending SAC meetings and was told that she could not attend because she was not a school parent. Apparently the district staff needs to be clearer about who can and cannot attend SAC meetings. She also noted that she occasionally gets calls referred to her by school staff from parents who do not live in her council district, and reminded the school representatives that, unlike the School Board, the City Council redistricting does not take effect until the 2015 election, so the current districts will remain in effect for several more years.
School Board Member Lee said that the district and the council need to get accurate information to the public. He urged council members who have any school-related questions to call their school board member for the correct story. He noted that DCPS is one of the 25 largest districts in the nation – truly a huge operation.
Council Member Yarborough recounted his experience as “principal for a day” and found it an eye-opening experience. He told how his interest in politics and public service can be traced back to his days as a Frank Peterson Academies student working in television production, which led to being a camera operator at City Council and School Board meetings as an intern with WJCT, which ultimately led to his decision to run for public office.
Council Member Gulliford suggested possibilities for joint use of facilities in the Baymeadows Road/I-295 area. There are no basketball courts in the new public park there, but perhaps the public could use the courts at Twin Lakes Elementary. The new park’s fields are so overused that it’s hard to keep grass on them. Perhaps the City could use the school district’s future elementary school site for several additional fields to take the strain off of the park fields.
School Board Member Couch noted that DCPS has 3 of the 21 fully certified career academies in the United States.
Kris Force of the School District talked about the VyStar Credit Union-sponsored financial services academy and student-operated credit unions at Wolfson and Ribault High Schools.
Council Member Redman urged council members to help promote business partnerships with schools, which are always looking for business partners, financial contributions, and expertise.
School Board member W.C. Gentry told the Council that the board would be holding a legislative briefing immediately after the conclusion of the joint meeting, and invited the council members to stay and hear what challenges the district is facing from actions in Tallahassee. By 2015 the district is going to have to do things very differently do comply with the state’s mandates regarding on-line learning and electronic record keeping, none of which come with any state funding.
Meeting adjourned: 2:18 p.m.
Minutes: Jeff Clements, Council Research Division
6.13.12 Posted: 3:00 p.m.
Tape: Courthouse Oversight Special Committee meeting 6.12.12
Legislative Services Division