The Duval School Board is discussing declining enrollment, ongoing investigations and the search for a superintendent with the City Council

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council met with the Duval County School Board Wednesday morning to hear about some of the school district’s top issues.

The agenda included a search for a new superintendent, a proposal to close dozens of schools and an update on the investigation into how the district is handling allegations of teacher misconduct amid scandals at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.

It was an opportunity for council members to learn and ask questions about these important issues, especially since many of their constituents are concerned about the possibility of their neighborhood school closing.

That unrest drew a crowd to a school board meeting Tuesday night.

On Wednesday morning, School Board Chairman Darryl Willie told the Jacksonville City Council that he believes the two finalists for superintendent – Dr. Christopher Bernier and Dr. Daniel Smith – are prepared to lead the district through a transition period.

“This is a moment of challenge and opportunity. This is what I said about this role. We have a number of challenges, every school district has them, but we are also looking for a person who understands those challenges, has solutions to those challenges and then creates opportunities,” Willie said.

School district staff also had a chance to explain how some of these problems arose, citing inflation, increased homeschooling and expanded school choice, including an expanded voucher program introduced last year that provides subsidies for private schools to families regardless of income .

The district reported losing about 3,000 students each year and plans to leave hundreds of staff positions unfilled in the coming years and potentially merge dozens of schools to “right-size” the district. That proposal has drawn the ire of advocates like Jane Anders Ruffin, a former kindergarten teacher at Fishweir Elementary School, which is on the list of schools that could close.

“Every single person in this building works together as a team, the staff, the principals, it’s just the camaraderie and the teachers are so special. I mean, it’s an A school,” Anders Ruffin said.

The district acknowledges that the plan was created by an outside consultant with efficiency in mind, without regard to things like academic performance and history that are important to many families and employees.

The district plans to seek community input on its concerns at a series of public meetings in the coming weeks before making decisions about consolidation.

DCPS Interim Director Dr. Dana Kriznar also spoke about the investigation conducted by an outside law firm into how the district handles allegations of teacher misconduct.

This investigation began after the arrest of longtime Douglas Anderson School of the Arts music teacher Jeffrey Clayton, who has since pleaded guilty.

MORE: Student says there is an ‘epidemic of sexual harassment’ in Duval schools and urges district to raise awareness of Title IX

Kriznar said the investigation is ongoing but that it is taking steps to improve reporting of sexual harassment or misconduct, including implementing an online reporting tool that can be anonymous.