Three Duval County School Board seats are up for grabs this election cycle. The top-funded candidates in the each race — Nick Howland, David Chauncey and Darryl Willie — are also all endorsed by the political arm of JAX Chamber, JAXBIZ.
“We look for high-quality candidates that are business minded and know how to run a business,” said JAX Chamber CEO Daniel Davis.
He said that’s because school board members are responsible for a large budget, and it’s important dollars are spent efficiently.
Related: Election News And Voter's Guide
“These folks, when we interviewed them, we could see that they were leaders,” Davis said.
And he believes these candidates will help the district build on the momentum of a rising graduation rate and improvements in other academic metrics such as literacy.
Although JAXBIZ isn’t financially supporting these candidates, many individual donors and political committees are.
Here’s a breakdown of the candidates’ campaign finances:
Nick Howland
Howland is running for District 2, representing the Beaches, and he’s raised $47,000, $8,000 of which he loaned himself. He has funding from some big Jacksonville names like developer Peter Rummell, businessman and philanthropist Wayne Weaver, state Education Board member and businessman Gary Chartrand and Congressman John Rutherford, R-FL4.
Howland is also getting $1,000 from Jacksonville Greyhound Racing and $1,000 from the Jacksonville Kennel Club. WJCT News reached out to both organizations to ask about their interest in a school board race but did not get a call back.
John Kirtley of Tampa, an outspoken proponent of education reform, also contributed $1,000 to Howland’s campaign. WJCT News reached out to Kirtley but did not get a call back before this story’s deadline. About 20 years ago Kirtley started a foundation to fund private school scholarships for low-income students. He also advocated for a law allowing tax credits to go to private school scholarships and he’s the vice chair of the American Federation for Children, a school-choice advocacy program.
Howland has also received money from three political committees: the Northeast Florida Committee for Economic Growth, Realtors Political Advocacy Committee and Build Something that Lasts.
The Northeast Florida Committee for Economic Growth has donated to a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, and Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach.
Build Something that Lasts was formed to back Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and other candidates who reflect a similar vision for the future and conservative principles, the Florida Times-Union reported.
Howland said during aschool board forum earlier this month the Realtors support him because “they appreciate someone who understands that our schools are on the upswing and that what we need is acceleration of student outcomes.”
And he said overall his backers support him because he’ll use data and take a critical approach to decision making.
Although the school board race is bipartisan, the Republican Party of Duval County said the Nick Howland campaign will be providing breakfast for its canvassing effort Saturday.
Howland was not available for an interview before this story’s deadline.
David Chauncey
Chauncey is running for District 6, which includes the Westside and Riverside. He’s raised the most of all school board candidates, $72,925.
About 9 percent of his funding comes from eight political committees: First Coast Conservatives, Leaders in Education Fund, Young Floridians for Opportunity, Advocates for Business Growth, Watchdog PAC,Northeast Florida Committee for Economic Growth and Build Something that Lasts, like Howland.
Many of them peg themselves as conservative leaning, and WJCT News reached out to several to ask how school board candidates earn their support. Floridians For Economic Freedom Chairman, Rep. Chris Sprowls, R- Palm Harbor, responded to the request.
Sprowls said firstly, Chancey is a friend whom he’s known since middle school.
“Even then he was a bright, studious, overachiever-type person who was very passionate about getting involved,” Sprowls said.
He said his committee raises funds for candidates who are going to fight for the principles of the free market and who will challenge the status quo, not defend it.
“I think [Chauncey is] looking for ways to give parents options as to how their children can get educated in an environment that’s right for them,” Sprowls said. “One thing we know about kids is that they’re all different and they all need different things in education.”
Like Howland, Chauncey is also getting funding from big Jacksonville donors, including Weaver, Rummell, executive Preston Haskell and Jacksonville University President Tim Cost.
He’s also received $1,000 from Kirtley.
Chauncey was not available for an interview before this story’s deadline.
- See: Campaign Contributions
- See: Westside, Riverside School Board Candidates Share Views At JPEF Forum
Darryl Willie
Willie is running for District 4, which encompasses the Northside and Eastside. He’s raised $45,618.
Willie has also received support from several big Jacksonville donors including Haskell, Weaver, Florida Blue market President Darnell Smith and Haskell board chair Steve Halverson.
He also received $1,000 from the group Leadership for Educational Equity, which describes itself as a “nonpartisan leadership development organization working to end the injustice of educational inequality.” Its members are Teach for America members and alumni, like Willie, who is currently Jacksonville’s TFA executive director.
WJCT News reached out to Leadership for Educational Equity but did not hear back before this story’s deadline.
WIllie also took $1,000 from the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
He’s received 163 contributions of $100 or less, the most small individual contributions out of all the top-funded candidates.
Willie did not respond to an interview request.
- See: Campaign Contributions
- See: Northside, Eastside School Board Candidates Share Views At JPEF Forum
Runner Up: Karen Nuland
Nuland is running for the District 6 seat against Chauncey and several other candidates. She’s raised $55,702 — about $1,700 shy of Chauncey’s haul — including $20,000 she loaned her own campaign.
Unlike Chauncey, Nuland has a lot of financial support from local teachers unions all over Florida, including Duval, Volusia, St. Lucie and Broward counties.
Broward County Teachers Union President Anna Fusco said unions pitch in to support “like-minded people that want to make sure public school system is strong.”
Fusco said teachers’ unions want candidates who will advocate for more state education funding and not leaders who support privatizing education, “high-stakes testing” or expanding charter schools. She said unions expect candidates to stick to that mission.
Nuland said she won’t take money from organizations that push for more charter schools because she said all the rules and regulations between charters and traditional schools aren’t equal. But she said her union support won’t prevent her from pushing for innovation in the district.
“We have to be open to innovation and change,” she said.
Excluding Nuland’s self-loan, about 40 percent of her funding comes from union groups including some non-education related ones like labor unions.
Nuland said she thinks unions like her because she believes in “career-ready education programs” that don’t always require college.
“You can make a good living and have a good life by doing something else and you might be happier,” Nuland said.
She’s received 82 contributions of $100 or less.
“I’m really proud so many people out there were willing to give me $100,” she said.
Nuland has also accepted money from a few political committees including CLU-PAC, funding many Democratic candidates, a couple Republicans and several nonpartisan candidates. She’s also getting money from the Building and Trades Political Committee, which has contributed donations bipartisanly.
- See: Campaign Contributions
- See: Westside, Riverside School Board Candidates Share Views At JPEF Forum
Photo used under Creative Commons.
Lindsey Kilbride can be reached at lkilbride@wjct.org, 904-358-6359 or on Twitter at @lindskilbride.
