JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools unanimously chose not to pass a proposal that would have enabled the sale of the entity’s current administration building on 1701 Prudential Drive.
The final vote was 0-7.
The decision to purchase the new property at Prominence Parkway also failed 0-7.
Several members of the public attended the meeting to share their opinions, and all voiced opposition to the deal. One commenter even suggested the deal seemed to benefit only the buyer.
The idea of moving the school board away from the river has been discussed for decades. Many school board members expressed concerns about the proposed deal, emphasizing the need to get the best price for the current property.
Logistics of relocating to the Prominence Parkway building were also a key concern. Board members noted issues with the differing closing dates for the sale and purchase, which complicated the process.
Board Member Cindy Pearson described the deal as a bad one and urged her colleagues not to rush into a decision just for the sake of deciding.
Board Member Reginald Blount raised worries that the current headquarters might be undervalued. He also questioned the new location, citing potential traffic increases in the area.
Pearson said, “I have prayed that if I’m wrong about this, that God would show me that, like make it really clear to me that I’m wrong. And as I have continued to pray about it, I remain steadfast that this is too risky and this is not a good deal for DCPS. So my prayer for each board member has been that each of us would do what we know to be right.”
“I don’t feel comfortable where we are now,” Blount added. “I really think it should be a little more discussion...I think for the sake of the taxpayers, our residents, I do think we need to maybe push it down another month, download it so we can look at it a little bit more carefully before we make the decision.”