FirstLine Schools Inc. welcomed two new board members and announced the long-awaited opening of the new Arthur Ashe Charter School building during its meeting on August 22. The board unanimously elected Kim Henry and Paul Pechon. Henry is an engineer who has been active at Arthur Ashe Charter School, and Pechon is a CPA and […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
New principal updates board on teacher training, student testing
Board members of the Dryades YMCA and James Singleton Charter School welcomed new principal Debra Robertson at their monthly meeting on August 21. Wasting no time, Robertson updated board members on teacher preparation efforts during the summer. She said teachers returned to work in late July for an intensive week-long schedule of professional development topics and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
No jail time for former deputy in Coast Guard officer's suicide
Family members of U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. William Goetzee pleaded Friday morning for a judge to put a former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s deputy in prison for enabling Goetzee to commit suicide while in jail. Instead, former jailer William Thompson got five years of probation and 200 hours of community service. Goetzee was arrested in August […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board meeting agenda released (updated)
The (updated version) of the board meeting agenda content is printed below, as it was received. Please note the temporary venue change: Meeting of the Board of Directors ADVOCATES FOR SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS EDUCATION INC. September 13, 2012 4:30 P. M. Tulane University Uptown Square Cowen Institute Suite 108 AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Former jailer to be sentenced for role in suicide at Orleans prison
A former Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy will be sentenced in Criminal Court Friday for his role in the 2011 suicide of William “Bill” Goetzee in Orleans Parish Prison. William Thompson will appear in Chief Judge Camille Buras’ Criminal District courtroom for sentencing on a felony charge of malfeasance in office. Thompson pleaded “guilty as […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
Federal audit slams local nonprofit: $900,000 questioned
Operation REACH, Inc., the troubled education nonprofit, failed to properly account for nearly $900,000 in grant money received over three years, some of which may have been misspent, according to an audit by the federal agency that awarded the cash. The New Orleans-based nonprofit’s questionable spending was “unsupported by required documentation and/or incurred improperly,” according […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Hurricane alert: Keeping your cool likely to get harder and harder
How was your Labor Day weekend? Mine was hot, dark and wet. A confounded, slow-moving tempest knocked out my electricity and exposed leaks around my windows. After a couple days of sweating and mopping up, my wife and I decided to consume all the beer in the fridge, before it got warm. Emergency measures, you […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Teachers grouse about building conditions now worsened by Hurricane Isaac
Frustration over the slow pace repairs to the Einstein building, a problem exacerbated by Hurricane Isaac, boiled over at a meeting of the board, Sept. 4. “Enough is enough,” several teachers and principal Shawn Toranto told board president Ryan Bennett. The building’s roof replacement was put on hold this summer after an issue with the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Is mayor's office dragging its feet over jailhouse consent decree?
As Hurricane Isaac was making its way across the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman was meeting in New Orleans with officials from the U.S. Department of Justice to work on a long anticipated consent decree to remedy unconstitutional conditions at the city jail complex. But Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Poor performance on tests could zap charter renewal process, board fears
At its monthly meeting, Aug. 25, the board of Crocker Arts and Technology School addressed the possibility that low test scores may scuttle renewal of its charter. Crocker will receive a final site visit from the Recovery School District on Sept. 11, at which point a recommendation will be made on whether the school’s charter […]