JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The fate of Duval County Public Schools is now in the hands of the Jacksonville City Council. If council members vote to put the district's half-cent sales tax referendum on November's ballot, the school district has agreed to drop their lawsuit.
If passed by voters, the half-cent sales tax increase would generate millions of dollars to go toward needed repairs and renovations at Duval County's aging schools around the first coast.
Duval County public school students have been at the forefront of the fight for their schools. From overheating in their classes due to a lack of air conditioning, to worrying about electrical shortages causing fires, students tell First Coast News they're fed up with the city not taking action to help.
A handful of students, in particular, are helping to lead the charge.
Fletcher High School students Jack Rowan, a senior, Aidan Moran, a senior, and Adam Dimascio, a junior, have been advocating for the district by speaking out at city council meetings, reaching out to city agencies and meeting with council members on their own time.
Moran says he vividly remembers being in class in January when a fire broke out.
"We’re in our class and all of a sudden we just hear 'pop, pop, pop' and we’re not really sure what it is," Moran said. "[My teacher] tells us to grab our stuff and run."
He said that was the second electrical fire they'd had at Fletcher High School that calendar year. He says it's just one example of the ongoing issues with their buildings, and they consider themselves the fortunate ones.
"We need to start now. The band-aids aren’t solving anything," Rowan said. "We’re one of the schools that’s lucky. Schools in more poor regions of the city don’t have the funding that they need, that’s why this tax was so necessary and I wanted to push out so much."
They’ve taken matters into their own hands by rallying support from other students and going to bat for their teachers well being, as well, advocating for safe teacher environments and raises.
As a regular at city council meetings, Rowan says he's tired of seeing another less-vetted legislation pass "immediately" while this proposal has been dragged through the mud.
"Maybe it's the threat of losing outright to the school board that has finally gotten them to focus their minds," Rowan said. "This has already had two months of committees and been re-referred and deferred and public hearings, all this stuff, it’s time to just pass it now."
As a junior, Dimascio says he's ready to carry the torch after the others graduate, but they want action sooner than later.
"Duval County public schools are at a crossroads where we can either wait for these issues to keep getting worse or we can go into a new age where we prioritize revitalization of public schools and public school facilities," Dimascio said.
Moran said they are fighting for the future of their younger siblings in the school system, for their family members who are teachers and for their future families.
"Which side do you want to be on?" Moran asked. "The side that said no, I don’t think that this will benefit our schools enough compared to how much it’s going to drain our economy, or do you want to be on the side that said yes, I moved for this because I found that our students and our youth are the most important part of our community."
All three students went to the city council meeting once again Tuesday night to make their case. They were hoping for emergency legislation to get the tax proposal on November’s ballot, but they’ll have to wait another four weeks before the council votes.
Some council members tell First Coast News they are feeling more positive about the proposal this time around. They say there is now support from Mayor Lenny Curry, and with a possibility that the district will drop its lawsuit, they're hoping for the best.
"It's going to be a sweet day when that bill passes and it gets on the ballot and then we just have to make sure the votes are there from the public to understand the need to bring our schools into the 21st century," City Councilman Matt Carlucci said.
"I think that every child should be afforded to go to a school that’s safe, that’s secure, and that’s in a good state, and a lot of our schools are not in a good physical state," City Councilman Garrett Dennis said.