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Board says FSCJ proposal would change long‑standing Bean Center joint‑use arrangement; attorneys engaged
Summary
Board chair and district counsel told the workshop that Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) has proposed charging for use and changing the joint‑use MOU for the Bean Center; the district says it has invested millions and is holding to the current MOU while attorneys negotiate.
Board leadership told a Nassau County School District workshop they are engaged in attorney‑level discussions after Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) proposed a new usage and cost arrangement for the Bean Center, a joint‑use facility the district helped build about 20 years ago.
School Board Chair Sherri Cook (referred to in the record as Miss Cook) said the district paid a substantial portion of the building’s construction costs and that the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) has no expiration date. “We have an MOU with no expiration date, and I'm holding to that right now,” Cook said, adding the Bean Center houses district career and technical education and a community‑school program the district relies on for daytime classroom space.
Brett Steger, the board’s attorney, told the workshop the college has proposed a five‑year term with rent and cost‑sharing that would include custodial and utilities; the college’s attorney suggested the district’s prior construction payments be treated as applied rent for earlier years. Steger said the MOU currently in effect remains binding until both parties agree to change it, and noted the college is designated the owner of the Bean Center under the statute governing joint‑use facilities. “The MOU is effective until mutually agreed by both sides to change it,” Steger said.
Staff said FSCJ had asked for additional classroom space that would conflict with daytime CTE and community‑school programming. The district said it has no ready alternative site for its community‑school programs and CTE classes and that attorneys for both parties are now discussing options. No board action was taken at the workshop; staff said they would update the board as negotiations proceed and that the situation could require future board decisions if a modified agreement is proposed.
The board chair asked that trustees be kept informed as the colleges’ request and legal discussions develop; the transcript shows no final agreement or vote during the workshop.
