All open school board seats on the Duval County School Board will head to runoff elections in November after no candidate earned more than 50% of the vote in races for the district 2, 4 and 6 seats. With conservative school board members April Carney and Charlotte Joyce not appearing on the ballot this year, the Duval County School Board may experience a repositioning in its political alignment.

Although school board races are legally nonpartisan, culture war issues and conservative politics have burdened the district as the board continues to review and remove books from school library shelves.

Still, Duval County Public Schools is wrestling with school closures and consolidations, low student enrollment, improvements needed in student achievement to maintain an A-rating and teacher retention.

During the primary election, voters are able to choose candidates in all three races.

District 2 candidates vie to replace Moms for Liberty-backed vice chair

Republican Donovan Bradley and Democrat Donna Westrich will compete in November for the District 2 seat to replace Moms for Liberty-backed Vice Chair of the board April Carney.

Bradley, a Jacksonville native and graduate of Duval County Public Schools who seeks to increase school safety, expand school choice “options” for students, expanding career readiness paths and keeping teachers in the district. He earned 49% of the vote Tuesday, falling short of the 50% plus one threshold for nonpartisan elections in the primary.

Bradley is outpacing Westrich in campaign contributions, totaling to $61,934, with major endorsements from current board members April Carney, Melody Bolduc and Reginald Blount, City Council member Rory Diamond and the Fraternal Order of Police of Jacksonville.

District 4 candidates with education experience head to runoff

Alfreda Denson Butler, a varying exceptionalities teaching lead at Mattie V. Rutherford Alternative Education Center, has over 30 years of experience with the district, from coaching sports to teaching in the classroom. A Jacksonville native who grew up in District 4, she and one of her children attended public schools in Duval County.

Denson Butler is endorsed by major union organizations in the area, including the Duval Teachers United, Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters and Clay Education PAC.

Rhodesia Butler, an area director for the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville, long-time business owner of Simply Rho Lee 3 and former dean of students and assistant principal of 21 years, says she would like to focus on retaining teachers and showcasing the best District 4 has to offer to attract more families. Butler moved from Queens, New York to Jacksonville at five years old, attending District 4 schools for most of her education. All three of her children matriculated through public schools in Jacksonville.

Denmark, James will head to runoff in District 6 with focus on discipline

In District 6, Clarence “CJ” James will face Lindsey Denmark in the Nov. 3 runoff.

James, a police sergeant with the Duval County Public Schools Police Department, cited more than “1,500 fights per year, over 400 school staff members assaulted per year,” though district officials say it is unclear what data he is drawing from.

“We have got to do something to get the violent, uncontrollable, disruptive behavior out of the classrooms so teachers can teach, and we can retain good teachers,” James said.

Reinstating mentorship programs between school resource officers and “at-risk youth” is among the ways James plans to address student discipline.

James has raised over $100,000 in campaign contributions with endorsements from the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, City Council member Kevin Carrico and Moms for Liberty-backed City Council member Rory Diamond.

His campaign also made headlines for producing two AI-generated images that circulated social media, one of which placed additional Black supporters in the photo. James claimed that the images were created by his campaign staff and that they were created without his approval.

Denmark, a local realtor with Watson Realty Corporation, cited similar numbers about student discipline.

“My primary goal is to bring order back into our classrooms. We’re seeing so many disciplinary issues,” Denmark said.

Denmark also has garnered the support of current District 6 school board member Charlotte Joyce, Duval school board vice-chair April Carney and state Senator Clay Yarborough.

All of those elected officials have since received financial or public endorsements from Moms for Liberty.

Trinity Webster-Bass covers education for The Florida Trib. You can reach her at trinity.webster-bass@floridatrib.org.

The post All Duval County School Board elections will go to a November runoff appeared first on The Florida Trib.

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