Tracy McCormick-Dishman
editor@floridanewsline.com
As students prepare to return to school next month, Duval County School Board member Melody Bolduc is tackling two critical issues affecting Mandarin families: ensuring equitable funding for local schools and improving pedestrian safety around campuses.
Bolduc, who represents District 7, has been working to change how the district distributes federal Title I funds, arguing that Mandarin schools are being shortchanged despite having students who qualify for assistance.
“The demographic in Florida, in Jacksonville, has shifted in a huge way where literally every single school in the city has a decent-size population of students who are low income and qualify for Title I funds,” Bolduc said. “Our Mandarin schools are literally paying for the other schools in the district to operate, and yet we’re not getting our fair share.”
Currently, only two schools in the Mandarin area — Crown Point Elementary and Twin Lakes Elementary — receive Title I designation, which provides federal funding for schools with high percentages of low-income students. Bolduc wants the district to allow funding to “follow the student” rather than concentrate resources in certain schools.
Under her proposal, schools like Mandarin Oaks Elementary, which has approximately 230 students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, would receive about $230,000 annually — enough to fund two reading interventionists and a reading coach.
“Even though they’re not low-income, they still need that support,” Bolduc explained, noting that Mandarin Oaks serves students who speak 120 different languages. “Our slogan, our vision statement, is ‘every child, every day,’ and every child means every child.”
The funding battle has personal stakes for Crown Point Elementary, which nearly achieved an A rating last year but lost the City Year program that used AmeriCorps volunteers to provide literacy support. Bolduc is now working with local businesses to raise $350,000 to bring the program back.
“If I could get 350 of what could be like 3,000 businesses in the Mandarin area to give me $1,000, I can get that program,” she said.
On the safety front, Bolduc has been pushing for pedestrian improvements after two local students were struck by vehicles in crosswalks between March and May. Working with City Councilman Michael Boylan and traffic engineering officials, she secured promises for safety upgrades.
Before school starts, Mandarin Middle School will receive an updated pedestrian crossing signal with an audible countdown timer. The current signal’s flashing red hand confused students about when it was safe to cross.
“It looks like they have five seconds to cross the entire street,” Bolduc said of the current system.
The city also promised to paint a crosswalk at Mandarin High School’s main entrance, where students frequently cross Greenland Road to reach the school parking lot.
Bolduc’s broader goal is establishing school zones and crossing guards at all middle and high schools countywide. Currently, traffic engineering officials told her that teenagers “don’t listen to anybody anyway,” a statement she challenged based on her observations at school drop-off and pickup.
“What I’m seeing is a lot of adults breaking laws, and I’ve seen kids following rules,” she said.
As families prepare for the new school year, Bolduc reminds parents that the district has ended universal free lunch at most schools, returning to income-based eligibility. However, all students will receive free lunch for the first 30 days while families complete applications.
“Whether you think you would qualify or not, I’m encouraging everyone to fill it out,” she said, noting that the process is confidential and students simply scan their ID cards.
Bolduc encourages community members to support her efforts by attending school board meetings or emailing Superintendent Christopher Bernier about funding concerns.
“It’s time for us to fight for our kids and for what we need here in Mandarin,” she said. “We want our schools to be fully funded. We want our schools to have the resources.”
For parents looking to help, Florida’s tax-free shopping period runs throughout August for school supplies, and applications for free and reduced lunch are available online through the district website.
