Duval School Board District 3 incumbent Cindy Pearson sat alone next to an empty brown chair Tuesday at a Jacksonville Public Education Fund candidate forum that had been advertised to include both District 3 candidates. 

Rebecca “Becky” Nathanson is challenging Pearson to represent the area of Jacksonville that includes San Marco and much of the Southside. JPEF, a nonpartisan nonprofit that organized the forum, said Nathanson had previously confirmed her participation, but a day before the event she “advised that there was something that she needed to attend that took priority over the forum.”

The forum and three more planned for each of the districts with active Duval School Board races are being co-sponsored by a handful of local nonprofits, including Jacksonville Today.

Nathanson did not respond Tuesday evening to a text sent to the number listed in her campaign filing.

Duval GOP Chair and Florida state Rep. Dean Black, who is endorsing Nathanson in his capacity as a state representative, told Jacksonville Today he was “not aware” of the reason she did not attend as planned.

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Organizers continued with Tuesday’s scheduled program, giving Pearson two minutes to answer a series of questions that lasted about an hour. 

“I would love to get to a point where we hear, ‘I moved to Jacksonville for the schools,’” Pearson said at one point. “How many times have you heard people say that about our neighboring counties?”

To hear more about Pearson’s perspective on issues facing the school district, listen to her recent appearance on First Coast Connect and return to Jacksonville Today for a candidate comparison tool for most local races, coming at the beginning of August. Nathanson is scheduled to appear on First Coast Connect on August 1.

JPEF will hold its next Duval School Board forum, with District 1 candidates Nadine Ebri and Tony Ricardo, on Thursday, July 25, at the Citadel Church, 1057 Arlington Road N., at 6 p.m.

A forum for District 5 is set for Tuesday, July 30, at Edward Waters University’s Milne Auditorium, 1658 Kings Road, at 6 p.m.

And a District 7 forum is on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Hopewell Church, 3990 Loretto Road, at 6 p.m.

Register to attend one of them virtually or in person.