2022 Election Results
Two incumbent school board members and one new member were elected to the Duval County School Board on Aug. 23. Board Chairman Darryl Willie (District 4) ran without opposition, while District 6 board member Charlotte Joyce fended off challenger Tonya Hardaker, 58.8% to 41.2%.
In the District 2 race, challenger April Carney won against incumbent Elizabeth Andersen, 52.4% to 47.6%
JPEF remains committed to our mission of closing the opportunity gap for low-income students and students of color, working in partnership with the community, educators and others.
“I want to congratulate Ms. Carney and Ms. Joyce on the election. We value our relationship with the Duval County School Board and look forward to our continued work with the school board members," said Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, JPEF President.
What does the Duval County School Board do?
Duval County has seven school board districts. The citizens living within each district elect an individual to represent them and to look out for all public school students in Duval County. School Board members are elected for a term of four years, and are limited to two terms. School board members are paid an annual salary of $47,072, as determined by state law.
Board members are required to attend meetings, thoughtfully consider issues before them and set the policies for the school district. The board is policy-setting body; it is the role of the school superintendent to oversee the implementation of the policies and the day-to-day operations of the school district.
What are some of the areas that the school board addresses?
- Curriculum. The school board approves curriculums for all schools. They are directly responsible for how our future accountants learn math, how our future surgeons start out in science, and how our future writers learn nuances of language.
- Developing and adopting policies. The school board sets policies that govern our schools, such as the district’s code of conduct. These policies outline the board’s duties in areas that range from approving collective bargaining agreements that govern teacher and staff contracts, the opening or closing of some schools and much more. The school board is also tasked with adopting policies to comply with education-related legislation like those that may come down the pipeline from the federal and state governments.
- Setting the budget. Public schools are funded by tax dollars (both property, state sales tax and federal taxes). Although the state of Florida has a big say in how school districts spend their money, the school board determines how a lot of these education dollars are allocated within the school district. You can learn more about how the budget works in a 2012 Jacksonville Public Education Fund policy brief.
- Overseeing facilities issues. It is the responsibility of the school board to approve or deny changes in school academic programs (like magnet programs) and which schools should remain open or should be closed down.
These are only a few of the many important decisions Duval’s school board is tasked with. Because education-related issues affect everyone, it is imperative that everyone in a community is represented.
So how do you get involved?
Empower yourself and get educated. The Duval County School Board meets at least once per month and the meetings are open to the public. Don’t want to sit in? You can watch the meetings online through streamed webcast or on local cable.
Know who your school board member is and how to contact him or her. You can find the district maps here and find bios and contact information for school board members here.