Duval County school officials are happy to have a mayor that is so enthusiastic about public schools, but they want Mayor Alvin Brown to check in before he visits the county's public schools.

Brown visited Fletcher and Mandarin high schools with staff members Tuesday but school officials were not prepared to accommodate him. When the issue of Brown's visits came up during the School Board's workshop meeting Tuesday, school officials expressed their preference he go through them to coordinate his visits.

When district officials discussed possible visit dates for Brown, they understood he wouldn't visit schools on Tuesday because Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals wouldn't be able to attend the schools with Brown. Pratt-Dannals had to attend the board meeting.

But Brown made the Tuesday visits anyway.

"Neither the mayor, nor me, nor you should go tromping around our schools," School Board Chairman W.C. Gentry said.

At the same time, Gentry said, he loved the mayor's interest in public education.

"We've never had a mayor that was this enthusiastic about public education, and we have to learn how to have a mayor that cares this much about our schools," Gentry said.

School officials want Brown and his staff to go through them to coordinate his visits to the schools.