The KIPP New Orleans school board, which manages six schools in New Orleans, held its monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, with all members present and an audience of three, including a reporter for The Lens.

After going into a lengthy executive session, the board emerged to discuss school performance and finances.

Executive Director Rhonda Kalifey-Aluise led a discussion of last year’s academic results, including test scores and the state’s new letter grade rankings.

She noted that, although the state gave a “D” grade to the board’s newest school, KIPP New Orleans Leadership Academy, the score reflects a sharp improvement in the middle-school performance of a student population drawn from some of the worst elementary schools in the city.

The report also noted that KIPP has the two highest performing schools in the Recovery School District. Kalifey-Aluise said state rankings and test scores are expected to go up as more students enter the KIPP system in primary school.

The discussion of school finances will be summarized in a subsequent report in The Lens.

The date for the December meeting will be announced.