As three seats open up on Duval County’s school board, four Democrats will face off in a competitive race in District 4, representing many of Jacksonville’s historically Black neighborhoods and schools across the Northside. 

Candidates Alfreda Denson Butler, Rhodesia Butler, James Jacobs and Gracie Bell Kearse-McCastler are running to replace term-limited member Darryl Willie, who ran unopposed in the 2022 election cycle.

This election marks a critical turning point for the Duval County school board. While school boards are officially nonpartisan contests, District 4 covers some of the most Democratic parts of the city and has traditionally been held by a member who registers with the party.

As the board reckons with another round of school closures, efforts to renew the district’s property tax and a shrinking student population, this year’s election may shift the political leaning of the board’s conservative majority. 

Two members previously backed by controversial “parental rights” group, Moms for Liberty, will exit the dais in November. 

If no candidate secures more than half of the vote in the primary election, the two candidates that garnered the most votes move on to the general election. One write-in candidate will appear on the general election ballot only in November. 

Three candidates for the District 4 seat have never run for an elected position, but each have served in various levels across Duval County Public Schools. Although the field is large for a district school board race, the candidates tend to agree on a broad set of priorities, including the importance of voters approving a property-tax renewal this November that helps fund the district’s operations, and the need to shield the district from further school closures.

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.

James Jacobs, a dean of students at Duval County Charter School at Westside, did not follow up for an interview after multiple attempts to contact him but shared his campaign website with The Florida Trib. Jacobs unsuccessfully ran for a seat on City Council in 2017, 2019 and 2021. According to his website, Jacobs makes promises of being “present, accessible, and accountable to the families of District 4.” 

Gracie Bell Kearse-McCastler is a retired Duval County educator of 33 years and will appear on the November ballot only as a write-in candidate. Kearse-McCastler said she was encouraged to run by community members and seeks to take on student discipline in District 4 schools. Kearse-McCastler is from Jacksonville, and she and her three children are all products of District 4 public schools.

Funding for teacher retention

Renewing Duval County Public Schools’ 1-mill property tax referendum is also going on the ballot this November. The tax has allowed for the renovation and rebuilding of schools in District 4 while boosting the salary of educators across the county, covering expenses such as mortgages and medical treatment. Without it, the district expects to lose many teachers to other school districts or career paths without the benefit of having competitive pay.

District 4 candidates share a consensus about the need to renew the property tax and spend more on teacher pay.

“In the past four years since its inception, teachers have been able to get somewhat of a raise…So if we were not to support this on the ballot going forward, it would have an impact,” said Butler.

According to recent studies conducted by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, the teacher turnover rate is highest in schools where minority students make up a majority of the student body, like in District 4. 

In addition to the referendum, the candidates also generally agree that the district should invest public dollars in training and professional development so new educators feel well-equipped to teach and manage a classroom.

While educators need more financial support, Denson Butler said “…training our teachers, training our novice teachers,” regularly is a valuable way to keep both old and new teachers in the profession.

“But when I was in the system years back, they would put a lot of the new teachers in the schools on the north side. And I would be remiss if I didn’t even ask for how many beginning teachers do we have in these schools on the north side,” said Kearse-McCastler.

School closures as a “major challenge” to tackle in District 4

Between 2019 and 2021, Districts 4 and 5 were hit hardest by the initial cycle of recent school closures and consolidations. Northwestern Middle School, Brentwood Elementary School, John Love Elementary School and Carter G. Woodson Elementary School were among the list of District 4 set to shut their doors.

While vocal parents in other districts rallied around their schools to change or delay the outcome of a school closure, many District 4 residents felt blind-sided by the decision to close neighborhood schools. 

Current District 4 school board member Darryl Willie says that advocating to keep the remaining historic Northside schools open as families and students leave Duval County will be a major challenge as new leadership takes over the district.

“I do not believe that there should be many more closures because there’s been so many already…I think that will also be something that this person will need to do is call out the fact that we’ve had a number of consolidations and closures in this district, and we, as a district and families and communities, do not need more of that,” Willie said. 

Butler recognizes that in order to comply with state regulations, school closures must continue across Duval County. But with the help of local community members and investment from the city and business sector, Butler said she hopes to stop the closing of any more schools in District 4. 

If closures continue to occur in District 4 and across the school district, candidates aim to work collectively as a school board to guarantee community members are well-informed during the closure and consolidation process.  

So [George Washington Carver Elementary School] was one of the schools that’s closing. The community knew nothing about the closing…So if elected as a school board member, I feel it’s my job to advocate and make sure the community knows, stakeholders know, people that live in the neighborhood, the community know what’s going on,” Denson Butler said.

Marketing Duval public schools as vouchers become more prevalent

Each year, more students leave public schools for private institutions with the help of publicly funded vouchers, which Florida made available to families regardless of income in 2023. That program, coupled with declining birth rates, are often cited as the driving reasons why many Duval public schools are no longer reaching capacity. 

Candidates agree that the district must focus on promoting what District 4 has to offer to all students and families, regardless of what institutions they end up choosing.

While many families are aware of the art programs offered at Lavilla School of the Arts and Advanced Placement courses offered at Paxon School for Advanced Studies, Butler believes educating parents on what is available in District 4 will allow families to “make good choices to stay in our public school system. Because if not, they are going to look elsewhere.” 

“My recommendation would be to continue to showcase what’s going on within their schools, celebrating their accomplishments and things like that. That needs to continue,” Kearse-McCastler said.

At this point, Willie is not endorsing anyone but views all candidates as “very qualified to lead District 4.”

No matter who wins, the next iteration of the school board will face an ongoing battle between the needs of students and educators and maintaining its financial obligations. The District 4 School Board member will contend with how the Duval County board will address key issues throughout their tenure.

Early voting starts Aug. 7 this year in Duval County for the primary election. Review the voter guide here for more information.