Mandarin-area teachers could lose contract protections for duty-free lunches, planning periods and bereavement leave. Duval Teachers United (DTU) faces a mail-ballot recertification election after falling short of a state-mandated membership threshold.

Membership Falls Short in Every Bargaining Unit

DTU recruited more than 640 new members between July 30 and Sept. 9 but still missed the 60% mark required under Senate Bill 256, a 2023 state law, Action News Jax reported Wednesday, Sept. 16. That triggers a recertification election conducted entirely by mail.

DTU Vice President Jessica Reyst said the stakes are existential for the 52-year-old union.

"Our 52 years of existence, that contract that we have … all of the things that are in that contract could potentially be null and void," Reyst told Action News Jax. "The district would not have to follow it."

At the Sept. 9 deadline, DTU's membership stood at roughly 57% among teachers, 52% among paraprofessionals and 44% among office personnel, according to First Coast News.

None of the three bargaining units cleared 60%.

New Law Sets Higher Bar for Turnout

A 2026 follow-up law, Senate Bill 1296, raised the bar further. At least 50% of eligible employees in each unit must now cast ballots for the results to count. DTU represents roughly 6,800 teachers, plus paraprofessionals and office staff, and more than 4,500 employees must vote for the results to be valid, Jacksonville Today reported.

Union Urges Staff to Update Mailing Addresses

The Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) has not yet set an election date. Union leaders are urging every employee to verify that their mailing address is current with the school district. DTU President Tammie Brooks-Evans said the union plans to use a phone bank of retirees to call every employee and confirm addresses before ballots go out.

When DTU missed the threshold, Brooks-Evans called the mail process the union's biggest obstacle. "That is a bigger challenge because we have such a hard time getting people to just update their mailing addresses, and then we're counting on the U.S. mail to get them to their homes and then get them back to Tallahassee," she said Sept. 9.

Past Embezzlement Scandal Weakened Enrollment

The membership shortfall followed years of declining enrollment after DTU's former president and vice president were sentenced to federal prison for embezzling $2.6 million by cashing in unearned sick leave, according to Jacksonville Today.

School Board Hires Attorney for District

The Duval County School Board also voted 4-3 on Sept. 8 to hire attorney David R. Osborne to represent the district. Osborne has argued that teachers unions are "roadblocks to education reform," Jacksonville Today reported.

Salary Offer Nearly Doubled During Bargaining

Brooks-Evans said Sept. 9 that the district initially offered about $14 million for educator salaries in a recent contract negotiation. By the end of bargaining, that figure reached $27 million, according to News4Jax.

PERC's election date announcement will determine when ballots arrive in mailboxes across Duval County, including at the homes of teachers and staff at Mandarin High, Mandarin Middle and area elementary schools.