SOME EXTRA TIME. IF YOU PLAN ON HEADING NORTHBOUND ON. 95. THAT’S A LOOK AT YOU. KEEP
PERSON TELL YOU AT A TIME
SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHAT HAPPENS
NOW? THE DUVAL COUNTY VOTERS
APPROVED THE PROPERTY TAX
REFERENDUM LAST NIGHT. TONIGHT
WAS CLOSE. HERE ARE THE FINAL
NUMBERS. 53% APPROVE. 47 VOTED
AGAINST IT. DUVAL COUNTY
SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN DARRYL
WILLIE IS JOINING US NOW. GOOD
MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> GOOD MORNING. ALWAYS A
PLEASURE TO BE ON.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO I I KNOW
THAT THIS IS CONGRATULATIONS
AND THAT THAT YOU WERE A BIG
PROPONENT OF NEEDING THIS
MONEY. WOULD YOU EXPLAIN FIRST
ORDER OF BUSINESS NOW THAT YOU
AND THE BOARD KNOW YOU’RE
GETTING IT?
>> YEAH, WE’RE GOING TO WORK
WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENT AND
STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN
WORK WITH THE RIGHT PARTIES TO
TO GET THOSE MONIES OUT TO OUR
TEACHERS IS AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE. SO THAT’S OUR FIRST
STEP. AND WE’RE GOING ALSO
TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST THANK
THE COMMUNITY. MY CO CHAIRS.
MIKE HIGHTOWER, DARNELL SMITH
AND THE WHOLE COMMUNITY FOR
BOATING BECAUSE THIS IS
VALIDATION THAT OUR TEACHERS
ARE ARE APPRECIATED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND WE KNOW
THE TEACHER VACANCIES HAVE
BEEN A HUGE PROBLEM,
PARTICULARLY STARTING DURING
THE PANDEMIC REALLY BEFORE
THAT. BUT REALLY EXACERBATED
DURING THE PANDEMIC. DO YOU
HAVE A SENSE OF HOW QUICKLY
WITH THIS MONEY BEING INJECTED
IN BEING ABLE TO ATTRACT MORE
TEACHERS WITH HIGHER SALARIES
WHEN MOMS AND DADS AND
STUDENTS AT HOME WILL REALLY
START SEEING THE EFFECT.
>> YEAH, IT COULD BE A LITTLE
BIT. I THINK WE SAW A LITTLE
BIT OF THE EFFECT ALREADY
BECAUSE EVEN THE NOTION THAT
WE WERE AS A COMMUNITY LIFTING
UP THIS OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE
FOR AN EXTRA MILK FOR TEACHER
SALARIES, KIND OF RAISED
EYEBROWS OF TEACHERS SAYS THEY
WON’T. DUVAL COUNTY CARES
ABOUT US. SO WE EVEN SAW SOME
FOLKS MENTIONING THAT IS THEY
WERE APPLYING BEEN STAYING IN
OUR SCHOOLS THIS YEAR. AND
THEN OVER THE COURSE OF THIS
NEXT 3 TO 4 MONTHS, WE’LL
FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT THAT
TIMELINE LOOKS TO MAKE SURE
TEACHERS ARE WHERE WE HOPE TO
INJECT IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED,
THERE’S A NEED. THERE’S A
DIRECT ME RIGHT NOW AND WE’D
LOVE FOR FOR THIS TO BE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS TO TO
MAKE THAT DECISION TO COME
TEACH WITH US HERE IN DUVAL
COUNTY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: ARE YOU ABLE
TO PROVIDE MORE PERSPECTIVE AS
TO HOW THIS WILL HELP VETERAN
TEACHERS AS THE SUPERINTENDENT
EFFECT INDICATED LAST NIGHT?
YES.
>> YES, SO THE STATE HAS DONE
A GOOD JOB. WE’VE DONE A GOOD
JOB AS A BOARD TAKING CARE OF
OUR NEW INCOMING TEACHERS
GETTING THE MOST OUT ENTRY
LEVEL SALARIES UP. AND THE
REASON WHY WE NEEDED THIS ONE
ON THE FIRST PLACE IS WE RAISE
THOSE SALARIES IN THE STATE,
GAVE US MONEY TO RAISE ENTRY
LEVEL OR NEW TEACHER SALARIES.
IT REALLY DID NOT CREATE ANY
GAP FOR ANY OF THOSE VETERAN
TEACHERS. SO IF YOU’RE WORKING
6, 7, 8 YEARS, YOU ARE MAKING
A JUST A LITTLE SLIGHTLY ABOVE
WHAT A NEW TEACHERS MAKING. SO
WE’RE GOING TO INFUSE THESE
DOLLARS. THESE THIS ONE
MILLAGE INTO THOSE EXPERIENCED
EDUCATORS. SO WE’RE GOING TO
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE
EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF OUR
TEACHERS. THOSE ARE THAT ARE
PAST THAT NEW AN OBVIOUS
PERIOD AND REALLY FOCUS THEIR
TO CAUSE BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE
TEACHERS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE MAKING THAT DECISION TO
STAY. AND THOSE ARE SOME OF
THE TEACHER ARE SEEING THE
HIGHEST RESULTS WHEN IT COMES
TO STUDENT STUDENT OUTCOMES.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHILE WHILE
ASK YOU THIS NEXT QUESTION, I
DO WANT TO SHOW TO OUR VIEWERS
AT HOME WITH THE BREAKDOWN IS
OF HOW THE MONEY WILL BE
SPENT. 65% WILL GO TO TEACHER
SALARIES AS WE JUST DISCUSSED,
12 AND A HALF WILL GO TO ARTS
AND ATHLETICS PROGRAMS. 12 AND
A HALF WILL GO TO CHARTER
SCHOOLS AND 10% WILL BE USED
FOR STAFFING POSITIONS. BUT I
THINK THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO
POINT OUT. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT
FOREVER CORRECT.
>> THIS IS CORRECT. YEAH, AS A
BOARD. BUT WHEN TRY TO GO OUT
AND ASK ANY QUESTION, WE TAKE
IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC. SO THIS
WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FOR
THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN. AND
THIS IS ONLY GOOD FOR 4 YEARS.
SO EVERY 4 YEARS THIS
REFERENDUM, THIS ONE MIL
INCREASE WOULD HAVE TO BE
VOTED ON. SO WHO KNOWS WHERE
WE’LL BE IN 4 YEARS. WE COULD
BE IN A PLACE AND THAT THE
STATE SAYS, HEY, YOU KNOW,
WE’RE GOING TO TONS OF EXTRA
MONEY OR WE COULD BE IN A
WORSE PLACE THAN WE ARE NOW.
SO THAT’S WHAT’S SO GREAT
ABOUT THIS. WE GET A CHANCE TO
REALLY LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT
WHAT LOOK AT. EXACTLY IS GOING
ON IN OUR LANDSCAPE TO ENSURE
THAT WE CAN TAKE CARE OF OUR
TEACHERS.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I KNOW
YOU’RE BUSY TRYING TO GET YOUR
KIDS OUT THE DOOR. ONE FINAL
QUESTION. IF DON’T MIND, ARE
THERE ANY LIMITATIONS TO HOW
THIS MONEY CAN BE USED?
SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW IN
PLACE FOR THE SALES TAX MONEY.
>> YOU LAID IT UP PERFECTLY IN
YOUR EXAMPLE. THAT’S EXACTLY
WHAT WE’RE ABLE TO USE IT FOR
PER TEACHER SALARIES. THOSE
STAFF THAT ARE DIRECTLY IN
CONTACT IN OUR SCHOOLS. THOSE
THOSE ARE ALSO BE SOME SOME
SELLERS WILL BE ABLE TO HELP
OUT ARTS AND ATHLETICS IS LAID
OUT AS WELL AS OUR CHARTER
SCHOOLS PER LOT. WE HAVE TO
GET A PERCENTAGE RATE OF THE
DOLLARS TO THEM. SO WHAT’S
WHAT EXACTLY WAS LAID OUT?
THAT BALLOT LANGUAGE IS
EXACTLY HOW WE’RE ABLE TO USE
THE MONEY SO THE PUBLIC CAN
REST ASSURE THAT WE’RE GOING
TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF THAT.
WE’RE GOING MAKE SURE WE’RE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE. WE’RE GOING
TO CREATE A COMMITTEE THAT
ACTUALLY LOOKS SPECIFICALLY AT
THIS ONE MILL INCREASED TO
ENSURE WE’RE TAKING CARE OF
THOSE DOLLARS.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: CHAIRMAN OF
THE DUVAL COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD.
DARRYL WILLIE JOINING US THIS
MORNING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME. WE DO APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU. AND WE WANT TO
POINT OUT TO OUR VIEWERS,
81 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IS