Wednesday marked the beginning of the City Council hearings on Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s $491 million proposed 2013 budget. The first agenda item of the afternoon was the longest, with two hours of questions, accusations and confusion regarding the Department of Safety and Permits. Council members expressed frustration with several aspects, including response time and constituent […]
Posted inOpinion
Confessions of an armchair cynic: the voters proved me wrong
They’re calling it a “status quo” election. And some things about it are indeed quite predictable, including the rush to call the new dispensation status quo. Predictably: From deep within the Fox bubble, Karl Rove’s first reaction was to doubt that Obama’s re-election was really happening. Predictably: Within hours of Romney’s concession speech, Wall Street […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board hopes for increased enrollment, considers possible locations for new campus
At the monthly Morris Jeff Community School board meeting Thursday, Principal Patricia Perkins said the school met its goal for 275 students, as of the official Oct.1 count. To accommodate the growth, board members considered an array of temporary locations, ranging from the West Bank to New Orleans East. The school is scheduled to move […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
NOPD's decision to drop pepper spray in favor of Tasers raises questions about use of force
The New Orleans Police Department is expanding its use of Tasers and dropping pepper spray from its arsenal as part of a consent decree addressing complaints over police brutality, training and civil rights violations. The department says it’s dropping pepper spray because its cops hardly ever use it — just eight times so far in […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board approves application for federal funds to take charge of a second school
At an eleventh-hour meeting Sunday night in a coffee shop, Einstein’s board of directors approved a federal i3 grant application. Board members met at CC’s Coffee House on Esplanade Avenue to review the 28-page application, due the next day. Principal Shawn Toranto presented board members with the draft. She said she and her team had […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Four years is a split-second eternity—no matter who wins tonight
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson: Is the Libertarian a longshot for 2016? photo: Steve Terrell, Flickr I expected the 2012 race for national office to be a weird one. Instead, it’s been pretty stable. Sorry about that. I didn’t think Republicans would nominate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to lead their crusade against President […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Brad Pitt movie donates office supplies; budget surplus tied to unfilled staff posts
In a brief board meeting on Monday night, the finance committee reported that Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy ended the first quarter of the new school year $21,000 under budget. The surplus resulted from as yet unfilled staff positions and receipt of a unbudgeted grant of $6,000 to subsidize the salary of the […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
The Lens talks with candidates for School Board districts 1 & 2
To inform voters and provide a broad platform for debate, The Lens and our partners at WWNO-FM are presenting conversations with candidates in Orleans Parish School Board races. The interviews aired on WWNO-FM for the three Sunday nights before the election. The Lens is also publishing the unedited video for these forums. Here The Lens’ […]
Posted inSchools
Veteran educator leads Encore Academy through first year
At Encore Academy, there’s always a lot going on. Before meeting The Lens for a tour one Monday, school leader Terri Smith marched into her school’s main office at 2301 Marengo Street, a sniffling young scholar in hand, giving him a stern talking-to for his classroom acrobatics. The student had jumped from a classroom chair […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Sci High board meeting agenda
The meeting agenda for the Sci High board is reprinted below: Meeting of the Board of Directors ADVOCATES FOR SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS EDUCATION INC. November 8, 2012 4:30 P. M. SCI HIGH, Rm. 115 AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of the Minutes Sybil 3. Financial Report Jim/Claudia Consideration of proposed amendments to the […]