Schools are a big issue as we wrap up another school year

Maybe its the end of the school year that has people talking about the next school year. Our school district in #Jacksonville, according to many teachers I speak to, is getting better, but it has incredible competition from the folks next door in St. Johns County, where their schools are number 1 in the State of Florida. Yes, only 67 counties in Florida and being number 50 out of 67 does not seem so bad, but then you see the real issues.

Our  high schools were so bad for so long, we needed someone to help us turn that issue around. It takes, per my resources, almost 10 years to go from plans to complete construction items regarding a high school. Take Lee High School, they just completed a multi-million dollar remodel and the school looks amazing with new emphasis on technology, but where was this push for tech 15-20 years ago, when Tech was really becoming prevalent? These high schoolers will be getting what they need for the future, but those who were stuck using the abacus from 10 years ago, sorry we did not do better?

The New Lee High School...

As a Realtor, I am not supposed to discuss the education or ratings of schools. It is in the ethics of the Realtor guide. It is something that has been there for a long time, and discussing the ratings of a school system could cost me my license. Thankfully, I have a number of friends who are teachers or in charge of schools in the area, I mention to those asking to reach out to them, my friends, and discuss their thoughts on kids, schools and what is important to them in a neighborhood with a good school system.

Duval County Public Schools Web Page

There are countless neighborhoods for kids, good ones with parks, here in #Jacksonville. The issue that I find is for parents to find the right one for their kids. We do feature some of the top schools in the USA here in Jacksonville and some very good magnet schools, but sadly, there are not enough of these in Jacksonville. While our focus is on development of downtown or some area of Jacksonville, shouldn't our focus really be on the schools and education we provide to our kids? After all, they are the future leaders of Jacksonville and it would be a shame for them to leave our great city, just because the next trend is occurring elsewhere.

Come on Jacksonville, we can do this, lets make it happen.

#LizBobeck