District proposes in‑house deputy director for financial services to replace Jacobs contract

Duval County School Board members reviewed a proposal to add an in‑house deputy director position in the district’s financial services (described in the agenda as a potential replacement for some contracted work provided by Jacobs). Staff said the move is intended to reduce contracted costs and bring institutional knowledge in-house.

District staff explained the position would carry experience requirements in public‑school administration, business management and accounting and may include construction oversight experience. “This is an opportunity to bring an individual on board with the cap. They would then remove that salary structure from the Jacob's contract,” a staff presenter said.

Board members asked whether creating the position would generate net savings and whether the role could be funded from capital or operating budgets. Staff said the proposed hire would likely be less costly than the contracted salary previously paid under Jacobs, and the district will identify the appropriate funding source; the master facilities plan itself is not a funding source but can inform capital planning.

Decision status: the item was discussed at workshop; staff said additional job‑description detail and cost projections will be provided in future materials. No final hiring decision or vote was recorded in the provided excerpt.

Ending: board members broadly supported bringing work in-house where prudent but requested detailed cost estimates and funding-source clarity before committing to a job posting.