Hurricane Katrina hurt Louisiana, says ex-Gov. Roemer, but “Louisiana was already hurting.” The reasons why are complex. A solution begins with dedicated trust funds for the state’s colleges and universities. photo: NASA It’s surprisingly difficult to measure how a state is “doing.” Politicians do a lot of bragging about what they’ve accomplished but tend to […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
ReNEW votes to add another school to its network
ReNEW’s board of directors voted Thursday to expand the four-school network by taking on another school next year. ReNEW currently serves about 2,400 students and with the additional elementary school, the network will aim to serve 3,300 students. Encouraged by the Recovery School District to apply for another charter last year, ReNEW did just that […]
Posted inLand Use, Squandered Heritage
Wrecking ball for Booker T, but auditorium to be spared
“Selective demolition” lies ahead for a school with a storied past. photo: Karen Gadbois Demolition of Booker T. Washington High School, on Earhart Boulevard near the B.W. Cooper public housing development, is now under way, but plans call for preserving the school’s storied auditorium. The auditorium, in ruins since Katrina, will be refurbished. photo: Andy […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Pride College Prep leaders prepare to release control to new hands
In their first meeting since the state leaders decided against extending Pride College Prep’s charter, board members overseeing the school grappled Monday with how exactly to turn the campus over to new management. When the Pride’s charter ends on June 30, 2013, the 330-student school will likely be taken over by ARISE Academy, Pride school […]
Posted inInside the News Room
The Lens awarded $25,000 for charter school reporting project
Recognizing the important coverage of charter schools by The Lens, two local philanthropies have made another round of grants, this year totaling $25,000. The Greater New Orleans Foundation today awarded $10,000 in an IMPACT 2012 grant to The Lens’ Charter School Reporting Corps, a two-year-old effort aimed at covering the city’s 50-plus charter school boards. This […]
Posted inInvestigations, Land Use
Discovery of human remains delays Iberville redevelopment
Charmaine Williams, second from left, goes for a walk with her grandchildren Keah Williams, 15 months, left, and Richard ‘Ricky’ Farrell III, 3; and daughter, SaYann Williams, 16, right, in the Iberville public housing development. They can see St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, in the background, from their front stoop. Archaeologists have confirmed that part […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Report: Teacher pension plans drowning in red ink nationwide
The accrued deficit that now plagues Louisiana’s teacher pension plan is part of a 40-state trend, according to a report released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality. The Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana’s $10.8 billion deficit is part of a larger sea of red ink resulting from risky investments, erroneous market predictions and […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Details of Walker-Landry merger don't alleviate critics' concerns
More than 100 L.B. Landry and O. Perry Walker students, alumni, and parents met with representatives of the Algiers Charter School Association again Wednesday night to discuss a potential plan for a merger of the two West Bank high schools. It was the latest in a series of public forums the ACSA is hosting to […]
Posted inSchools
Live blog recap: OPSB discusses school enrollment standards
The Orleans Parish School Board has packed a lot into the year’s last round of committee meetings, including discussion of the common enrollment requirements for all of its chartered and traditional schools. The meetings started at 1 p.m. Thursday, and I live-blogged them here. In November, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education gave […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
NET High students improve on state grad exam, Ostberg says
NET Charter High School students performed better on Louisiana’s required graduation exam this fall compared with last year. School director Elizabeth Ostberg presented the scores to the Educators for Quality Alternatives board during their Dec. 11 meeting. Twenty-seven sophomores and juniors took the state-mandated test in October, though Ostberg said, “all of these students should […]