Jacksonville District 13 City Councilman Rory Diamond said Monday he hopes City Hall can find common ground with the Duval County Public Schools Board.
The board is seeking a sales tax referendum this year for voters to decide. If it’s approved, the half-cent sales tax would fund badly needed improvements to the county’s public schools.
Diamond said he withdrew the measure City Council was considering on the matter so that it could be redone.
Related: Listen to the full interview with Diamond on Monday’s First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross
“It was withdrawn so that it could be brought back. I made the motion to withdraw because I strongly suspected there weren’t the votes to get it through. Without enough votes the mayor would veto it. That would mean we were tabled until 2024,”said Diamond.
The School Board and City Council are at odds over how to fund traditional public versus charter schools. The School Board has hired independent attorneys to represent its push.
