Exoneree John Thompson, of New Orleans, was awarded millions in compensation for wrongful incarceration but has been unable to collect. How much would you need to be paid to spend 25 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola? It’s just a thought experiment. I’m not putting any money on the table. And if I […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
[Corrected:] Budgeted expenses continue to exceed revenues for the coming year
As presented by the board of directors at a public hearing on July 30, the draft 2012-13 budget for New Orleans College Preparatory Academies shows an $11.2 million increase over last year last year’s in total expenditures, a 14 percent increase based on a projected enrollment of 960 students. Correction: The original story misstated the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DA: Shifting misdemeanors helped justice if not budgets
Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro on Wednesday defended his decision last year to shift the prosecution of misdemeanor charges from criminal to municipal court, saying it has allowed his office to focus on more serious cases. That move has created budgetary concerns for Councilwoman Susan Guidry, a co-chairwoman of the City Council’s Criminal Justice […]
Posted inSchools
BESE makes clear how charters that perform well can leave RSD
Update, 9:45 p.m.: BESE has accepted the Recovery School District’s outline of transfer to local control policies. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education received and approved a plan by the Recovery School District Wednesday on a process for transferring schools back to the Orleans Parish School Board The plan is expected to ease several […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Would-be charter school managers file paperwork
At least four would-be charter operators were expected to submit their applications to the Orleans Parish School Board today at noon. The groups are applying for Type 1 charters, meaning they will be new school start-ups that will likely need to secure their own buildings. The School Board will award charters in December. Here are […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Grabbag of issues on three campuses preoccupy trustees at July meeting
At their monthly meeting, July 25, trustees of the International School of Louisiana pondered an eclectic batch of issues ranging from solar panels to Title I funding to the décor of modular classrooms. “Aesthetic is important,” an audience member interjected as the conversation touched on the modular classrooms being designed for the Olivier Street campus. […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Miller-McCoy’s budget year ends with an unexpected surplus
The Miller-McCoy board of directors met Monday night at Xavier University to review year-end financials and discuss the approaching first day of school. Miller-McCoy finished the fiscal year with a $183,000 surplus, $140,000 more than the finance committee had expected. Treasurer David Baileysaid much of the surplus came from larger than expected grants from the […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Association schools face slide in revenues as budgets are released for public review
Revenues decrease in the coming year for the Algiers Charter School Association, due mainly to expiration of a Teacher Incentive Grant and reduction in the size of Title 1 money. That’s the salient news from the budget for the upcoming school year released Thursday night. A public hearing will be held in early August to […]