September 2024 Articles

Bridging the Divide: Navigating the DCPS Budget Crisis

Author: Dominic Dacunto

The Duval County Public Schools budget deficit continues to be a thorn in the side of district employees, students, and parents alike. The now $1 billion shortfall in the budget stems from the rising cost of maintenance to the district’s aging facilities, the increased student body population, and state law requiring that state budget funds must be shared with charter schools in the school district. 

The result is that members of the school board must face the harsh reality that something has got to give, and in this instance its district employees and schools deemed more costly to fix than they’re worth. Over 370 teaching positions will be eliminated, and 18 schools will close under the proposed Master Facilities Plan. For students and parents of the closed schools, they’ll have to alter their routines to adjust for a school in a new location, adjust to the quality of education, and come to terms with potential disciplinary issues in the new schools. Likewise, for students, teachers, and parents in the schools that remain open, they face a major change as their school takes in new students while simultaneously having fewer teachers. 

In some instances, parents have become fed up with the lack of disciplinary action taken by administrators within Duval County schools and are opting to place their children elsewhere. For Leigh Hamilton, the lack of communication and inaction from his youngest son’s middle school embittered him to the point of pulling his son out of the public middle school and placing him in a Duval charter school. Currently, state funds are appropriated to schools based on average daily attendance numbers, and with more public school students being switched from public to charter by their parents, the funds go with them. 

The Master Facilities Plan is still pending final approval, with public outcry getting certain schools removed from the closure list. As it currently stands, there will be another public hearing on October 29th with a final vote taking place on November 4th.

Bitty and Beau’s: Coffee For A Cause

By: Skylar Catherwood

Bitty and Beau’s describes themselves as “a human rights movement disguised as a coffee company.” Bitty and Beau’s is a coffee company that hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities not only to create more jobs for people with IDD but to change the way people see others. The company was founded by Amy and Ben Wright, the parents of four kids: Lillie, Emma Grace, Bitty, and Beau. Their daughter Lillie was born with autism, and Bitty and Beau were born with Down syndrome. The Wrights were inspired to start the company after learning over 80% of people with IDD are unemployed in the United States. They opened their first location in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 2019. What started in a small town has now spread to eleven states and eighteen locations, one including Jacksonville, FL. The Jacksonville location can be found in San Marco, across the street from Balis Park. This location was opened in November of 2022. The second customers walk through the door, they are immediately greeted by all the employees with a warm welcome. The café is set up with seating for large and small parties for group meetings or solo trips. They have built a family connection beyond their staff that makes every customer feel like they have been going there for years. The employees at Bitty and Beau’s bring an enthusiastic and kind spirit to the store that is beyond remarkable. Whether you’re in need of caffeine pick me up or a mental pick me up, Bitty and Beau’s has the cure for both.

Gameday Scams at Everbank Field

Author: Alexa Gonzalez

Downtown Jacksonville is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who play at Everbank Stadium. The NFL team brings tourism, community, and liveliness to North Florida. As Jaguars games draw in crowds that average over 69,000 people, the downtown area can become overpopulated and chaotic quickly. In all of the madness, fans are often left stuck in traffic on the way to a game, and by the time they park and make it to their seats, the game has already begun. This can lead fans to take desperate measures to make it to the stadium in time. Two fans, Bailey Estep and Cheyenne Knight, claimed to have been scammed by a man offering rides on a tandem bike from a parking garage to the stadium. “He told us the ride would be $12 for each of us, so $24 in total, and then when the ride ended, he charged us $96. That’s when he revealed to us that he was charging us $12 per person, per minute of the ride,” said Estep. This situation was very stressful for the fans. “We were just trying to make it to the stadium for kickoff, and it was a really high-pressure situation, so we just paid him. I just wish more people knew stuff like this was going on so they knew how to avoid it,” said Knight. A representative from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office commented on the matter, saying, “We recommend using a licensed taxi service or ride-sharing company. A driver should be able to provide proof they are shuttling passengers for commercial use. Remember, always err on the side of caution and report any suspicious activity immediately. If anyone is aware of this happening and feels it is criminal in nature, call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.”