Bus rides are shorter this year for ENCORE students

School switched bus companies this year and is pleased with the change.

ENCORE Academy’s school leader Terri Smith said her students are spending less time on the bus this year, and that’s a good thing.

“Student bus rides are considerably shorter,” Smith said.

The school switched to Apple Bus Company this year, its second year of operation, and the move has gone well, Smith told the board of directors at a meeting Wednesday night.

She said they have received only five complaints regarding transportation — a number she said is pretty good considering school started more than three weeks ago on Aug. 5.

Earlier this week The Lens reported on early student bus stops and the long rides to school, something Smith said has improved this year compared to last.

In other updates, Smith said the school is averaging 90 percent daily attendance. She also said preliminary testing would conclude this week.

Of the 318 students currently enrolled, 110 attend Champ Camp, the school’s extended-day program. And about 10 percent of the student population qualifies as English-as-a-second-language learners.

The school will host a curriculum night on Sept. 12 where families can learn about Common Core standards and more.

Smith also said a parent advisory group will begin meeting monthly on the last Thursday of the month, beginning in September.

Marta Jewson

Marta Jewson is an independent reporter based in New Orleans. Marta has covered New Orleans schools for 15 years through the nation's largest education reform experiment and was instrumental in holding schools accountable to sunshine laws during the rapid expansion of charter schools in the city. She focuses on education, health and climate.

She earned her journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin.