Letters: Duval residents want fair financing for charter schools, not favoritism

Marion Tischler's Dec. 3 column was not a broad attack on charter schools, but rather a concern about favoritism in financing them through biased legislation. The intention of the surtax vote a few years ago was to provide repair or replacement of some of the oldest schools in Florida. The topic was not even allowed on the ballot until money for charter schools was included.

It would make sense to have older charter facilities included in the repair or replacement process, but most were already in newer buildings. However, as I recall, the charter schools were instead handed money per pupil to spend on existing leases and other categories without public disclosure of planned use, impact on enrollment diversity or accountability for student performance.

Tischler wrote based on her volunteer attendance at the quarterly Citizens’ Sales Surtax Oversight Committee. Coincidentally, the Times-Union ran an article on Dec. 3 about the difficulty of paying for repairs and replacements due to greater than anticipated inflation since the vote. As Tischler noted, the money retroactively provided to charters due to manipulative legislation would actually help narrow the gap between projected and current costs for the district’s master facilities plan.

There certainly are many fine charter schools, although it cannot be said that they all provide a better education than public schools. However, the purpose or quality of charter schools is not the issue here. The only purpose was to remind taxpayers that the approved sales tax was initially for improved physical facilities; we would be more capable of doing that now if a large amount had not been diverted to a chosen few.

Rhoda T. London, retired educator, Jacksonville

Don’t use tax money for vendetta

Ron DeSantis is apparently a fan of Florida State, as are his kids — including the preschooler. They even do the “tomahawk chop” (very Native American of them). So, he’s setting aside $1 million for FSU to sue the College Football Playoff committee.

These are the words of our governor, folks; the guy who wants to be the most powerful individual on Earth. I could go on and on about how that money could be used for fighting crime and poverty or supporting infrastructure, but I’m sure informed readers get the point.

If this isn’t a classic case of entitlement and power grabbing, I don’t know what is. What’s next? Sue the referees if little Ronnie’s soccer team loses?

Sure, FSU may have gotten screwed over, but does anyone remotely think the committee will overturn their decision? After which, they’ll probably face a lawsuit from the team that gets demoted. Rinse, repeat.

I’m going to assume DeSantis may be responsible for the participation trophy given to all players on a team these days. After all, you may not have earned accolades in your game play, but we certainly don’t want hurt feelings.

Priorities tell a lot about a person. One of mine is to not let my tax money be wasted on someone else’s personal entitlements.

Gary Schuran, Middleburg

Cheers for young local surfer

On Dec. 9, Atlantic Beach’s Lanea Mons, 14, won second place in the Under 16 Girl’s International Surfing Association World’s Junior Surfing Championship on Macumba Beach in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. She competed against girls from literally all over the world, including the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Iran, Hawaii and more. Some 46 countries sent their teams to this event.

Mons advanced to the finals after winning five heats and placing second in two. She lost to Australian surfer Sierra Kerr by just 3.6 points. In November, Mons also advanced to the money rounds (despite poor surf conditions) in the national level Pro Surfer Girl contest in Jacksonville Beach and sponsored by the U.S. Air Force.

This young lady deserves recognition for her excellent performances on this coast, in California, Hawaii and now Brazil. She enjoys strong support from her surfing family: Capt. Chris Mons, father and a Mayport bar pilot; Jenny, mother and homeschool teacher; and her sister, Maile. Former local pro surfer Asher Nolan accompanied the Mons family to Brazil as Lanea’s coach.

She took third place in her first pro surf contest at age 11 and continues with strong performances in many contests. She is a good student and humble young lady with a glowing present and bright future.

Bill Longenecker, Neptune Beach

'Salacious' stuff at school board meeting

The board of Duval County Public Schools needs to do its best to stop the type of performances that occurred at its Dec. 5 meeting.

During the public comment period, speakers read passages from various books out of context, apparently in order to be as salacious as possible. Whether or not a book is age-appropriate should be determined by a committee that has read the whole book; that’s part of the process when a book is formally challenged.

Reading passages at a School Board meeting isn’t part of the official challenge process. Besides, as I understand it, books can be considered age-appropriate for certain ages ― even those with profane words ― if the entire book (per definitions in Florida Statute 847.001) does not appeal to a prurient interest.

Residents should ask their School Board members to encourage people to follow the proper procedures to challenge a book. In addition, let’s ask that a public speaker’s mic be turned off and their time forfeited if they use vulgar or profane language during the public comment period of the School Board meeting.

Susan Aertker, Jacksonville

College football fiasco

It was great to read in Thursday's Times-Union that Florida’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, is launching an investigation into the powers that be in determining what colleges get to the playoffs. Leaving Florida State University out of the College Football Playoffs shows the prejudiced and culpable way that teams are chosen.

Playoff committee Executive Director Bill Hancock had the inexcusable response that “it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed.” The FSU situation does not by any means deserve an answer like that.

The Seminoles are always a power to be reckoned with and were highly ranked all season long. In fact, they were one of only three teams in the country to be undefeated at the end of the regular season. Any university would have understood (without complaint) if FSU had been picked as a finalist.

Ted St. Martin, Jacksonville

Compromise, compassion needed on monuments

This letter is in response to Daniel Mead’s Dec. 10 letter, “Just build new monuments.” Mr. Mead stated the sentiments of some residents, that “Others want it rededicated to all women of the conflict in the name of peaceful compromise.”

I am a supporter of that solution because it shows compassion, as did President Lincoln when he pardoned all the officers and members of the Confederacy. After all, the U.S. government designated Confederate soldiers as veterans.

I also agree with Mr. Mead that a monument to the 40,000 Black soldiers who died in this conflict should be erected in the park. So, here’s a question: Why spend tens of thousands of dollars to demolish a monument and then spend tens of thousands more to build a new one to the Black soldiers?

William C. Kurtz, Jacksonville

Segregation, thy name is ‘voucher’

A Dec. 10 letter to the Times-Union concluded: "Remember, public schools are not what teachers and administrators want them to be — they are what parents want them to be."

Parents are wise to be engaged in their child's education, but public schools belong to all taxpayers, of which parents are a subset.

The voucher schools that proliferate in Florida today are lineal descendants of the segregation academies created in the South after the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Given the Florida Legislature's laser focus on urban school districts, where students of color are increasingly the majority, this apparently is still the case.

Michael Hoffmann, Mayport

Jags are poor money managers

An employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars allegedly stole $22 million over a four-year period, and nobody noticed? That’s more than $15,000 per day that slipped through their fingers.

The team wants the taxpayers of Jacksonville to chip in $1 billion to pay for a new stadium. If they can’t manage their own money, then they shouldn’t be trusted with our dollars.

Chip Kirkpatrick, Yulee

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: More Duval surtax funds going to charters for other needs than repairs