JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board voted 5-2 on Tuesday to move forward with a resolution that would allow the district to hire its own attorney—separate from Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel (OCG).
Currently, all city agencies, including the school board, must rely on the OGC for legal representation. Supporters of the change believe it could attract better candidates and potentially save the district money. However, some board members and community members worry the move is politically motivated.
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Board Chair Charlotte Joyce explained that Duval is unique among Florida’s 67 school districts, which required the change.
“We are the only district in the state of Florida, out of 67 counties, that are not allowed to hire our own general counsel,” Joyce said.
Government law attorney Chris Hand, who served as Chief of Staff for the City of Jacksonville from 2011 to 2015, says this is due to the city’s consolidation in 1968, which created a unified Office of General Counsel for all city agencies.
“In 1968, the City of Jacksonville and Duval County consolidated to form the Consolidated City of Jacksonville, and one of those changes was the creation of a unified Office of General Counsel,” Hand explained.
The district has struggled to replace current board attorney Ray Poole, who resigned in May but has continued to attend meetings while a replacement is sought. Joyce said the inability to stay in the Florida Retirement System is one reason the district has had trouble attracting qualified applicants.
“Looking at the quality of applicants and the number of applicants, we just didn’t really have the depth that I felt like as a large urban school district in the state of Florida,” Joyce said.
Cost savings have also been discussed. For comparison, Hillsborough County, which has about 218,000 students, pays its board attorney about $177,000 a year plus an hourly rate (based on a 2020 contract).
The OGC posted the Duval County board attorney job with a salary range of $165,000 to $192,000.
Board member Darryl Willie expressed concern about moving forward without more information.
“We’re telling people that’s going to save us money, and I won’t. Don’t want us to come back and be like, actually, now we’re having to spend more,” Willie said.
The proposal must still be approved by the Jacksonville City Council and the Florida Legislature.
“This would be the first time in almost 60 years that we’ve had this question ultimately go up to the state legislature for a potential change,” Hand said.
Residents can share their opinions on the matter with their elected officials as the process moves forward.