Jacksonville's mayor wants to redirect $1M for after-school programs

Just weeks away from the first day of school, Jacksonville’s mayor wants to redirect $1.071 million of unused Jacksonville Children’s Commission funding to pay for after-school programs.

The mayor’s office said the change would allow about 740 new children to get access to those programs.

“Oh, I want to thank him for that,” said Jacksonville mother Mary Howze. “I am a crossing guard. So therefore, it helps me out while I’m working, my baby stays there.”

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Action News Jax first told you two weeks ago that Mayor Lenny Curry plans to reform the Jacksonville Children’s Commission’s funding, accusing people of slipping projects not related to children into the JCC and Jacksonville Journey.

“The reforms will be announced later this week. And this Band-Aid, if you will, speaks to one of the reasons we need reform,” Curry said.

Last month, Curry said he found nearly $1 million unused dollars in existing programs that he funneled into Jacksonville Children’s Commission summer camps that were on the chopping block.

In a July 20 email, the mayor’s Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa called the Jacksonville Children’s Commission funding problem “another mess.”

“So we’ve got a lot of different parties involved. And to the extent that any of those get delayed, or messed up, or there’s a hiccup anywhere, I think it causes a cascading effect of question and concern. And so I think that it is not a simple process. I don’t know that I could call it a ‘mess,’” City Council President Anna Brosche said.

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The Jacksonville Children’s Commission’s CEO Jon Heymann sent Action News Jax the following statement supporting the redirection of funding:

"We applaud the efforts Mayor Curry and Council President Brosche are making to include approximately 740 more children in quality afterschool programs. We look forward to working with the Mayor's Office and City Council to serve these additional children in the upcoming school year."

This funding will need to be introduced as legislation to city council.

Brosche said she anticipates it will likely be a quick deliberation.

Cox Media Group