Florida Times-Union + Education Editorial = Major Gaffe
In a recent editorial, the newspaper for Jacksonville, Florida opined that the first and top priority for the new superintendent of schools, yet to be hired, should be to sell the building on Prudential Drive and move its headquarters somewhere else.
Here is the key quote: "But here’s why neither of those two problems should be an obstacle for the School Board anymore:
• Because the building is paid off, it can be marketed without the burden of having to slap an unrealistic price tag on it to cover existing debt.
• The economy is now doing well —and the Southbank area in particular is a hot spot.
In fact, the proposed $433 million development for The District is right next door."
The sale of the school board building, with the required relocation of district personnel, has arisen periodically across the years. Each time the idea has been rejected for one reason: Study after study shows that it would cost the school board AND therefore Duval County taxpayers more money to sell and move than the school board would receive for the property.
The Times-Union offers no evidence or analysis to support its opinion. But hey, private development, why not? Don't wait to count the cost. In fact, they say the sale is the "next logical step" but offer no logic to support the assertion.
They reason "The school district already owns plenty of property and buildings in Duval County that could be used for administration."
C'mon, Times-Union Editorial Board, you can't be that dense. That's like saying you can produce the newspaper at my house because I have an internet connection. Can you squeeze what's left of your writers and editors into 900 square feet? Didn't think so.
To suggest that a headquarters could be plopped anywhere into a surplus school building is ridiculous. Schools are designed to be schools, not office buildings and meeting space. In fact, if it's not a high school, there won't even be an auditorium sufficient for school board meetings.
Also, the school board needs to be centrally located in the county. Did the T-U board bother to look at a map of actual property owned by the school system before sitting in front of a keyboard and blithely type away?
But the best is yet to come. They close with this eye-popper: "A diligent effort ought to be made to sell the building and move elsewhere. In fact, it should be one of the first jobs of the next superintendent."
With all of the challenges facing our school district, the loss of capital funds to charters when DCPS has a large backlog of maintenance needs, the possible closure of three schools in a few months and more to follow next year, the continuing lag in closing the achievement gap, the Times-Union asserts that the first and top priority of a new superintendent should be to sell public assets to private developers.
I'm going to leave a lot of space here. This is the written equivalent of a teacher employing wait time--to give everyone time to think over what was said before responding.
It's not the first time the T-U editorial board has committed a major gaffe. The Trump endorsement comes to mind. They cried they didn't agree, but the owner forced them into it. Well, people of integrity would resign in protest. Hmm, is this why Littlepage retired?
Sorry, Times-Union, but you're not getting away with this. It's not your first gaffe, so it's time someone called you out. True journalists don't dance to the tune of their corporate owners. True journalists are not marionettes jerking according to how the wealthy elite pull their strings. True journalists would never serve the interests of Wall Street and hedge fund managers.
But here we are. A major city newspaper backs the sale of public assets, bought by taxpayers with tax dollars, to serve the needs of private developers.
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