With the development of the St. Johns Town Center and the River City Marketplace, the transformation of the Riverside and Brooklyn neighborhoods and the opening of several restaurants and bars Downtown — not to mention the birth of cultural events like One Spark, Riverside Arts Market and Art Walk — it’s an exciting time to live and work in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is poised for growth. It seems each week a national or international company announces it is relocating to Jacksonville. The task, of course, is to sustain this momentum — to continue to be a destination for established businesses and entrepreneurs.
While the local economy has regained steam and there is much to be optimistic about, there’s one persistent blemish on Jacksonville’s reputation: The city’s violent crime rate remains unacceptably high.
Almost every year since 2000, Duval County has had the dubious honor of having the highest per capita murder rate in the state among high-population counties.
The violence is a stain on the entire community and the public is concerned.
In a recent poll, 50.3 percent of respondents indicated crime was the most important problem facing Jacksonville. And this problem will continue to prevent the city from achieving its full potential unless fundamental changes are made.
Significantly, one of the drivers of the city’s future economic growth and a partial solution to the city’s violent crime epidemic are the same: improving our public school system. In short, it’s essential that Duval County students receive a high-quality education and they complete high school.
Thus, on one hand, the current and future economy demands that workers be highly educated. One prediction is that by 2018, six in 10 Florida jobs will require post-secondary education.
On the other hand, the consequences of a poor public education system are simply intolerable — both for the individuals and the community as a whole.
The statistics are familiar, yet striking:
• Nearly one in 10 male high school dropouts is incarcerated.
• A high school dropout is 63 times more likely to be incarcerated than a college graduate.
The economic statistics are just as stark: The average high school dropout has a negative net fiscal contribution to society of nearly $5,200 annually. Said another way, over a lifetime, each dropout costs taxpayers more than $292,000 in lower tax revenues. Thus, it is both a moral and economic imperative that our children obtain a high-quality education.
Fortunately, a group of concerned citizens and community leaders have taken notice of this issue and taken action.
About six years ago, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund was formed. JPEF’s overarching objective is to improve Jacksonville’s public education system by informing and mobilizing the community to advocate for universally high-quality public schools.
To that end, it has recognized and empowered outstanding teachers, educated the community about the importance of school board elections and advocated around key issues facing students. It also has recruited thousands of volunteers and advocates and helped coordinate their efforts to maximize the benefits to students.
Although it’s been only a few years since JPEF’s creation, its partnership with Duval County Public Schools and other stakeholders has already paid dividends. Duval County’s graduation rate has increased nearly 20 percentage points and one poll indicates public confidence in school district leadership has increased more than 30 percentage points.
One of the things JPEF does is connect volunteers to schools that need services. Thanks to JPEF’s connections, The Jacksonville Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and the D.W. Perkins Bar Association are starting a mentoring program with students at an area high school.
The program aims for the students and lawyers to build personal relationships so that the lawyers can serve as role models to the students. The lawyers will encourage and assist the students as they navigate the often tumultuous high school years.
In addition to building relationships with the lawyers, the students will attend programs geared toward teaching the students about the courts, the significance of the rule of law and the realities of the practice of law.
Admittedly, this mentorship program is a small step in a journey to solve a big, complicated problem. But it’s time for our community, and Jacksonville lawyers in particular, to take the first step of that journey.
If you are interested in helping with this initiative, contact me at [email protected] for more information. And if you would like to learn more about how you or your organization can partner with JPEF, contact Maira Martelo at [email protected].
Michael Lockamy is a partner at the law firm Bedell, Dittmar, DeVault, Pillans & Coxe, P.A., serves on The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors and is a board member of The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section.