Which documents we used, what they told us, and what’s missing.
Posted inEnvironment
Marine Fisheries Service expresses concerns about Myrtle Grove diversion
The agency’s concerns mirror those voiced by opponents of diversions.
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Sewerage and Water Board to start billing New Orleans schools for water use
Schools haven’t been billed for water since Hurricane Katrina.
Posted inCharter Schools
Bricolage board passes $1.4 million budget for first year of operation
School will operate out of Touro Synagogue, starting Aug. 19.
Posted inCharter Schools
Einstein board waiting for former Intercultural Charter School’s campus to be fixed
School is taking over Michoud Boulevard campus, but repairs are still ongoing there.
Posted inLand Use
Councilwoman delays home-elevation grants, criticizes lack of openness
Approval stalled after The Lens raises questions about $11.8 million program to raise 48 homes.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Years of political inaction preceded latest cutbacks in Algiers ferry service
It was no secret to politicians: No one had a long-term plan to keep the New Orleans area ferries operating if they lost their main source of revenue from the Crescent City Connection tolls. But few leaders made an efforts to address the problem, and those who tried were rebuffed. Looking back, very few overarching planning documents even mentioned the ferries. So the cutbacks are of little surprise.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
LSU Board of Supervisors awards $1.3 million through little-known scholarship program
The 16 members awarded 190 scholarships for the last school year. Though the scholarships are posted online, there aren’t any uniform policies for advertising them. It’s up to each board member, most of whom are politically connected, to decide. A new law mandates that the recipients are listed online, along with the board members who selected them.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
City’s house elevation grant program a case study in opaque governance
Is the federal government getting a good deal by spending $11.8 million to elevate 48 houses? We don’t know.
Posted inCharter Schools
John McDonogh cuts more than $327,000 in teacher pay as students flunk summer school
Only 11 percent of students in McDonogh summer school pass U.S. History; 29 percent pass English II. New principal for 9th graders added at cost of $115,000.