Jacksonville City Council Special Meeting on School Referendum - June 5, 2026
Jacksonville City Council Special Meeting on School Referendum
On June 5, 2026, the Jacksonville City Council held a special meeting to discuss a resolution from the Duval County School Board requesting that the council pass through a one-mill property tax renewal referendum to the November 3, 2026 ballot. The meeting, called by Councilmember Matt Carlucci and attended by council members, school board members, the superintendent, general counsel, and the public, focused on the city council's role, the urgency of the timeline, and the importance of the millage for teacher salaries, safety, and arts/athletics.
Key Legal and Procedural Clarifications
- Michael Fackler, General Counsel, clarified that the city council's role is ministerial. Citing a 2024 Second District Court ruling from Hillsborough County, he stated the council has no discretion to block the referendum—the act of placing it on the ballot is mandatory. This differs from the 2019 Shaw vs. May controversy.
- Councilmember Carlucci questioned what would happen if the council voted no. Fackler noted that a court could issue a writ of mandamus ordering the council to comply, but the school board would need to pursue that option.
- Deadline: The absolute drop-dead date to get the measure on the ballot is August 18, 2026, as confirmed by the Supervisor of Elections. If the council does not vote on June 9, the next opportunities are June 23 or July 28 (the last possible council action).
School Board and Superintendent Statements
- Dr. Christopher Bernier, Superintendent, highlighted district achievements: an A grade for the first time in history, a 97.6% graduation rate (up from ~60%), and small achievement gaps across demographics. He emphasized that the millage (a renewal, not a new tax) directly supports teacher salaries, school resource officers, and safety personnel, and urged the council to let voters decide.
- School Board Members Cindy Pearson, Melody Balduke, Anthony Ricardo, and Warren Jones (former member) each spoke in strong support. Pearson detailed how the funds support teachers (mortgages, medical bills, college for their children) and enhance arts/athletics (turf fields, band uniforms, auditorium upgrades, safety improvements). Balduke noted teachers are below a survival salary and that the district has already made deep cuts, including school closures and staff reductions.
Public Comments
- John Lewis Meeks Jr. (Duval Teachers United, AFT): Urged renewal, saying, "This is not a tax increase; it's an investment." He recalled the district's past struggles and current success.
- Mickey Roman (business owner): Expressed concern about the tax burden on businesses, noting that the business community is "shrinking" and some are considering leaving Duval County. He offered to support vocational programs and suggested a business advisory council, but was reminded the meeting focused on the millage, not the half-cent sales tax.
- Mark Tu Manero: Supported renewal for teacher retention and safety, citing his son and teacher wife.
- Jimmy Travis Leonard (parent): Criticized council members Salem and Diamond for not attending earlier hearings and urged the council to pass the item to the ballot, stating that delay disrespects voters.
- Latrice Carmichael (parent/advocate): Shared a personal story of how teachers helped her son with an IEP graduate and succeed at Alabama State University, calling the millage a way to honor teachers.
- Tammy Brooks Evans (Duval Teachers United President): Asked for a vote on Tuesday to reduce teacher anxiety and allow them to focus on summer training.
- Tiffany Clark (community activist): Called the delay "foolishness," noting teachers depend on the funds for "gas, groceries, tampons, tide." She urged the council to let voters decide.
- Councilmember Ron Salem arrived late and did not speak; Councilmember Carlucci welcomed him.
Key Outcomes
- No vote was taken at this meeting; it was a work session to inform council members and the public.
- The resolution is scheduled for a vote at the full city council meeting on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the council chambers. Public comment will be accepted.
- Councilmembers Carlucci and Clerk Murray emphasized that the council's role is to pass the item through to the Supervisor of Elections, not to decide the policy itself.
- The meeting adjourned after public comments, with Carlucci expressing confidence that the council would act on Tuesday.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. I want to thank everybody for coming to our meeting today. And I'd like to start out by letting us introduce one another, starting down on that end, and we'll come all the way around here. Press the buttons. Different over here. Anthony Ricardo, School Board District One. Melody Balduke School for District 7. Hi, Cindy Pearson, School Board District 3. And good afternoon, Matt Carlucci, City Council Member at Large, Group 4. Good afternoon, Tyrone Clack Murray City Council, District 9. Okay, thank you very much. Today's meeting, I called in its last minute, but uh I would have tried to have called it a little earlier, but State Farm had me strangled yesterday. I've got this pesky other job that I had to work on. So but I felt this was important to call this meeting today, and I was glad that uh Councilmember Arias called the meeting because that means council members that may have questions still about the resolution that we're uh looking at this coming Tuesday, hopefully, we'll uh have two chances to have any questions that they have uh answered. I also believe that it's a chance. Is that councilman Jones down there? Councilman school board member. Warren, come on, come on up here, please, sir. It would it would warm my heart. It would warm my heart to have uh my good friend Warren Jones up here. For those of you who don't know, Warren is the longest serving council member since consolidation, 29 years. And Warren, come over uh here and sit next to Ty Rona. That way you'll be close. He got a hug everybody on the way over to a seat assignment. So I've got time to break it right. Um I don't think so. Okay, and so we have uh former council member Warren Jones. Why don't you introduce yourself, say hello, and then we'll get back to where we were. Uh good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be here, and uh when Councilman Matt Carlucci calls, I have to show up. So uh thank you for the invite, and I'm not gonna thank you for being up here, but I thank you for the invite. Thank you. Um, I uh would be when you would you get a little older. I gotta tell you it almost brings a tear to my eye to uh see my friend up here. And uh, I get I'm I'm getting too much like that. My voice starts cracking. Everybody says, you know, he's getting old, he's getting old. Anyway, um, but I love him. Like I love all of y'all. Okay, so we're called to order, and uh first uh we're gonna do is we're gonna clarify the city council's role on this. So I asked Michael Fackler, our general counsel, um, the head lawyer of this city uh to come and explain that, and then we'll have um the uh Duval County Public School Superintendent uh speak to the importance of this issue, and I would like to hear from our school board uh members as well as to anything that they want to speak to and any questions that Tyrone or I may have or any other council member who might be wandering in this way uh for they to uh ask, and then we'll take public comment. So I want to thank uh our general counsel, Michael Fackler for being here. And um, so why don't you um just kind of lay it out for us and um for everybody, including the media that might be here and the gentleman over here, um the simple truth of what you know what our role is. Happy to. Um, I think importantly, this is not the SHAL versus May controversy that we had in 2019. In this case, the shall has been interpreted conclusively by the Second District Court in 2024 in a case out of Hillsborough County. Uh, there the court said that in this case, shall in the statute left the in that case the county commissioners no discretion to put the measure on the ballot. It was a purely ministerial act, and therefore the county commissioners had to do it. Uh the appellate court affirmed the trial court's issuance of a writ of mandamus, which was essentially the court ordering the county commissioners to put the referendum on the ballot. This is a different statute than Shaw versus May in 2019, and it is our opinion as well as the binding law in the state of Florida, the act by the city council is purely discretionary.
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