Halloween disappointed me; I didn’t see any kids dressed up as lead-poisoned blood. They missed a real opportunity too, because high blood-lead levels scare me more than witches or zombies. Nonetheless, this week I was delighted to learn about a new organization dedicated to raising awareness of the city’s lead problem and finding solutions to […]
Posted inSquandered Heritage
Concrete lawn gets grass, but illegal driveway remains
One step forward, another step back. Back in September, The Lens wrote about the unpermitted paving at this house on Burdette Street in Carrollton after reader Kurt Buchert submitted a photo. It appears the owner has mitigated the sea of concrete in the front yard by replacing some of it with grass, as shown by another […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Former Algiers Charter Schools CEO brought in as academic consultant
In lieu of a quorum at the Oct. 11 Miller-McCoy board of directors meeting Andrea Thomas-Reynolds, former Algiers Charter Schools Association CEO, updated the board on the school’s charter renewal and extension process. After leaving ACSA, Reynolds founded Pinnacle Learning Systems, an education consulting company recently hired by Miller-McCoy to address academic and leadership issues […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board looks for new members, will discuss i3 grant app on Sunday
Einstein Charter School’s board of directors plan to meet again within the week to discuss the i3 grant. The board is applying for an i3 grant, which could give them the ability to take over a failing school next year. The grant is due Nov. 5. Board President Ryan Bennett appointed Kathy Litchfield to the […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board celebrates "A" level SPS, looks to improve further; Intuit CEO pledges new playground
Hynes officials reviewed the school’s latest performance scores and highlighted school-wide improvement plans at its monthly board meeting, Oct 29. Hynes’s 2011-2012 school performance score was 122.7, an ‘A” grade, and a 5.5 point gain from last year. According to the school report by Principal Michelle Douglas, reading mastery levels at Hynes are 84 percent, […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Clean audit for school finances, no discussion of performance scores
Members of Ben Mays Preparatory School board of directors received a clean audit at their Oct. 29 meeting. Don Wheat, a certified public accountant from Carr, Riggs & Ingram firm, presented a brief overview of the school’s financial audit. Wheat said the school received an unqualified opinion, which is a positive accounting assessment of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
City Hall still using controversial per-diem approach to jail budget
The controversial “per diem” budget for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is alive and well, despite assurances by top city officials that they would come up with a better approach to financing the city jail ahead of the 2013 budgeting season. Released Monday, the mayor’s budget proposal includes $22,434,338 for the sheriff, a cut of […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
When it comes to child sex abuse, we’re all ‘mandatory reporters’
While I do enjoy plumbing “gray area” hypotheticals and connecting different issues to one another, I’m afraid those predilections obscured a central point I wanted to make in my previous column on new laws about reporting child abuse. As noted, the new laws expand the definition of “mandatory reporters,” folks who work with kids and […]
Posted inSchools
The Lens talks with candidates from School Board districts 3 & 6
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 are airing on WWNO-FM for the three Sunday nights before the election, at 9 p.m. The Lens is also publishing the unedited video for these […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Einstein board meeting agenda released
The board meeting agenda is reprinted below: NOTICE THE EINSTEIN GROUP, INC. BOARD MEETING Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 6:00 P.M. Einstein Charter School Village De L’est Community Bldg. 5100 Cannes Street, NOLA 70129 The Board of Trustees of the Einstein Group, Inc. (“Einstein”) will meet on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, at 6:00 p.m., at Einstein […]