Duval board postpones $62,000 Council of Great City Schools membership after debate

The Duval County School Board on June 3 voted to postpone a decision on renewing membership in the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS) to the board’s July 1 meeting after an extended discussion about cost and who benefits from the national organization.

Board member Kim Bolduc moved to postpone the renewal; Board member Chris Blunt seconded. The motion to postpone passed 6–1. The board did not approve or reject the membership at the meeting; the item will return on July 1 with additional information about possible funding sources and membership structure.

The debate centered on whether the board’s budget should carry the full membership fee — about $62,000 as listed in the agenda materials — or whether the expense should be distributed among cabinet- and department-level budgets that regularly use CGCS resources. “It may be a bit of a misnomer to have a 100% of the expense in the board’s budget, given that it is something the superintendent and many staff use,” said Board member Pierson during the discussion.

Dr. Bernier, the district superintendent, told trustees that CGCS is primarily a conduit for national peer-to-peer information and research and that staff commonly use its resources: “So often when you ask a question like ‘What are other districts doing?’ we get peer connections and reports that are useful for cabinet-level and departmental work,” he said, adding that the organization provides national context the district cannot easily replicate.

Opponents focused on the price and the district’s current budget pressures. One board member who had pulled the item earlier said the cost was “exorbitant” and indicated she would not support it as presented. Trustees suggested several next steps: (1) ask administration to return with options for splitting the cost across benefiting departments, (2) confirm whether the superintendent or staff could join the council independently of a board-paid membership, and (3) seek more detail from CGCS about specific services used by Duval County.

Interim legal counsel and the superintendent advised that postponement would allow staff to gather the requested information and return with clear options rather than attempt a mid-meeting amendment. The chair moved to postpone to July 1, the board seconded and the motion carried 6–1.

The board’s action does not cancel the membership renewal; it delays a final decision so the district can provide the board with cost-allocation options and clarifying information about how local and national staff would use CGCS resources.

Ending: The item will return to the July 1 board meeting with a staff bring-back that administration said would identify potential internal funding sources, outline which departments use CGCS services, and answer whether a non‑board (administration-only) membership is possible.