School Board members like to travel.

That is not a novelty. Most political bodies, including members of the Jacksonville City Council, Florida Legislature and Congress travel a lot, at taxpayer expense of course.

But the seven-member School Board budgeted more than $77,700 on travel last year, Eye on Jacksonville has learned. They spent only $27,000, raising the question of why they are overbudgeting.

Also: Who went, where did they go and why?   

Those are questions that will be asked, Board Chair Charlotte Joyce has said.

Another question she vows to pursue: What organizations do the board members belong to and how much are the dues?

The school district has told the board they need to cut costs, thus it makes sense to look at expenses that may or may not be justified.

Questions about travel and fees came up at the last board meeting. Board member Daryl Willie is on the executive board of the Council of Great City Schools and he wanted to make three trips connected with that organization.

One was approved and two denied. The organization apparently exists to lobby for education funding and promote the liberal agenda and Joyce said the board needs to have a conversation about the $62,000 in dues the district pays to belong.

The newly reconstituted school board has much to do. Beginning with low-hanging fruit such as unnecessary expenses makes sense before moving on to tougher jobs such as parental rights, low grades, school violence, pornography in school libraries, and lingering traces of DEI and CRT.

Cleaning up a mess other people have made isn’t pleasant but it can be rewarding.