Matt for Duval School Board

My leadership style is clear, straightforward & committed to doing things the right way, for the right reasons. I am
& I hope to earn your vote to allow me to serve as District 7 Duval County Public School Board so we can put children & families first, safely; leverage every taxpayer dollar of our $1.7 billion annual budget to focus on quality education, state of the art facilities and equipment, innovation and workforce and career readiness. I believe business and industry are a critical partner in this process. See you at the polls, friends, and thank you for your support!

https://www.teamduval.org/2020/08/10/before-the-first-day-of-school-know-the-answer-to-these-three-questions/

First day of school is Aug. 20: know the answers to these three questions - Team Duval News Aug. 10, 2020 – The first day of school is approaching fast! Before we know it, Thursday, Aug. 20 will be here. Take some of the stress out of day one by knowing the answers to the questions below. 1) Is my child doing at-home or at-school learning? Is your child attending brick and mortal school?...

Back to school means a lot of different things this year but no matter what, it MUST mean new learning and opportunities for all of Duval’s children and support for families and schools. Please vote for me on the ballot for DCPS School Board, District 7. I pledge to focus on supporting quality education for all; workforce & career readiness; business engagement and partnership; fiscal transparency and accountability; and safe classrooms.

The support of community members is always important but never more so than this election, with so much at stake. Thanks to all in District 7 - together, we can and we WILL support our students and families in the year ahead!

Below are some pics from the campaign trail. To learn more about my campaign, visit mattforschoolboard.com/

In these photos, I was teaching Duval County students about civics. We need to include more civics in education. Learn more about my campaign for Duval County School Board at mattforschoolboard.com

In these photos, I taught Duval County students about civics .We need to include more civics in education. Learn more about my campaign for Duval County School Board at mattforschoolboard.com

A few years ago, I got the chance to tour the USS Iwo Jima LHD 7 and meet the captain. It was among a new class arriving to the Jackonsville area. I support the military and the men and women who sacrifice their lives every day for our freedom.

In fact, I wrote an article which was published in the Times Union that the mayor should resign because of the JEA fiasco. https://t.co/YZuzUnIeut

Money & Power: The campaign to privatize JEA The secret origins — and public collapse — of the campaign to privatize JEA, Jacksonville's public electric and water utility, under former CEO Aaron Zahn.

Matt for Duval School Board added a button to help you learn more about them.

FL Times Union 7-23-20: “In at least one case, the political alliance between Curry and Zahn helped silence a critic of Zahn’s hiring.

Matt Schellenberg, then a Jacksonville City Council member and JEA’s liaison, had voiced concerns about the integrity of the hiring process. Although he was a Republican who was mostly aligned with Curry and was even supportive of the concept of privatizing JEA, he was concerned that Curry had arranged for Zahn, a utility neophyte, to lead what he described as the “city’s most valuable asset.”

Schellenberg reached out to JEA board members to speak with them about how they would pick a new leader. He never heard back from them but was instead contacted by Mousa, who was at the time Curry’s chief administrative officer. Mousa wanted to meet with Schellenberg at City Hall.

When Schellenberg walked into a meeting room in the mayor’s office, he said, Mousa began yelling so loud people outside the closed doors could hear him.

“He was saying, ‘This is not your job. Stop interfering,’” Schellenberg said.

Schellenberg said Mousa threatened to take away funding from projects in his Mandarin district. He said neither Mousa nor Jordan Elsbury, another Curry aide in the room, ever explicitly said Zahn was their preferred candidate, although he left the meeting with that impression.

“That was the implication,” he said.

“If Schellenberg wins, it could create an interesting dynamic with Curry. Schellenberg called for the Mayor’s resignation earlier this year over the JEA sales push and related scandals.” https://floridapolitics.com/archives/349424-jacksonville-bold-for-7-17-2020-covid-caucus

Jacksonville Bold for 7.17.2020 — COVID Caucus? The Mayor’s indoor mask order doesn’t exactly illustrate the rule of law.

Like many of you, I am saddened that it took the atrocious murder of George Floyd to get our country focused on the fact that Black Lives Matter. Personally, I started to ponder this subject last summer when I had the occasion to take an engaging young black teenager home three nights in a row. To three different homes. As I came to realize he was homeless, I also reflected on how many times we, as the Jacksonville community, have “intended” to do something about conditions that far too many of our brothers and sisters of color live in every day. We intended, but we have failed. Jax Journey and the Mayor’s Committee on Crime being only the latest examples of opportunities to change the narrative.

Moreover, our nation’s collective, repeated failures in this regard have led to where we are now. Eventually the riots will come under control, but we cannot cause that distraction to prevent us from hearing how desperately our black community is hurting and longing to be heard. Really hear. And then really ACT.

I used to say “All Lives Matter” and of course they do, but I was missing the point. Now, I realize that “Black Lives Matter” encompasses that which makes America truly exceptional. We Americans truly care about the downtrodden, the underdog, the oppressed, those who need a second chance. America is strongest when we rally behind those hurting, in this case it is our black community which is in deep pain and needs our attention. The local level is where we are best able to support and rally behind them. We cannot let the partisan politics of an election years stop us from taking this unique opportunity to give our brothers and sisters the tools they need to change the narrative that has plagued them for too long.