Four charter organizations say they want to run Sarah T. Reed High School in eastern New Orleans when it reopens in the 2016-17 school year.
New Orleans College Prep, Einstein Charter School, Friends of King Schools and Collegiate Academies all responded to the Recovery School District’s request for applications. Letters of interest were due at close of business Friday.
The RSD shut down its five remaining direct-run schools, including Reed, at the end of the 2013-14 school year. The eastern New Orleans community has expressed a strong desire for a high school to reopen at Reed.
RSD Superintendent Patrick Dobard initially promised that Reed students would be able to continue there through 2015. But after the state announced that it was phasing out the school, enrollment dropped so much that the school couldn’t offer a full range of classes.
The four groups will make presentations to the community and RSD staff in December about their plans for Reed.
The Recovery School District requires that Reed serve grades 9-12 when it’s fully open, although a charter operator could start with fewer grades and add more each year. The school must be open to all students in the city, and it must provide transportation and participate in the city’s unified application process, OneApp.
This year Reed is occupied by KIPP Renaissance High School as its site undergoes renovations.
Friends of King runs two charter schools — Dr. King Charter School for Science and Technology and Joseph A. Craig* Charter School.
New Orleans College Prep operates Crocker College Prep, Cohen College Prep and Sylvanie Williams College Prep.
Einstein Charter School enrolled 900 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade last year. Einstein is split between two campus after it took over the failing Intercultural Charter School at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.
Collegiate Academies runs Sci Academy, Carver Prep and Carver Academy.
The RSD expects to announce its decision in February.
*Correction: An earlier version of this story said the King board operates Joseph S. Clark charter school. (Nov. 14, 2014)
