By Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer | Only two of seven charter applications were tentatively approved by the Orleans Parish School Board Tuesday night, despite vigorous support by some board members and audience members. Encore Academy and Citizens’ Committee for Education will revise their financial and organizational plans, hoping to win full approval to […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Sag in enrollment and attendance rates imperils finances as school moves toward closure
Declining enrollment and attendance rates at Sojourner Truth caught the attention of the school’s directors at their monthly meeting, Jan. 17. Sojourner Truth’s enrollment has decreased from 272 at the start of the year to 230. But only 168 students were in attendance during the most recent weekly count. Board members urged that attendance counts […]
Posted inSchools
Audit says RSD still can't track property
By Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer | The Recovery School District needs to do a better job of tracking its inventory, according to a recent legislative auditor’s report. More than $500,000 worth of the district’s property, mostly computers, was recorded as “unlocated” in fiscal 2011. And more than $168,000 in items were recorded as […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Donations jump by 30 percent, but board sees slump in volunteerism among parents
Parental volunteering and new faculty and staff dominated discussion as Ben Franklin High School’s board, Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education Inc., gathered Jan. 19 for its first monthly meeting of the new year. Board member Susan Weeks said they’ve added a line item to the school improvement plan to “increase communication and parent involvement […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board members focus on campus search; health clinic partnership talks appear to founder
The search for a permanent campus and the fate of the student health clinic dominated discussion at the monthly meeting of The Sci Academy board, Jan. 18. The board’s facilities committee announced that, despite recent talks, they have determined it would not be practical to open a student clinic next fall in partnership with Methodist […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Board eyes takeover of a Gentilly charter and may add a third school next year
Update, Jan 30: Two passages in the story have been corrected, as noted below. Five months into their first year running Harriet Tubman, the Crescent City Schools board of directors is preparing to run two more. Crescent City plans to take over Akili Academy in Gentilly in July, and possibly start running a third school next […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Shooting after basketball game draws scrutiny; cheerleaders en route to Orlando finals
At their monthly meeting, Jan. 18, Warren Easton Charter High School’s board of directors discussed a shooting incident and approved funds to support several extra-curricular activities. In her report on the Jan. 6 shooting, Principal Alexina Medley said two Warren Easton students were injured when a gunman opened fire on a crowd exiting the school […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Medicaid helps with in-school healthcare costs; departing students mostly moved out of state
The monthly meeting of the McDonogh City Park Academy board, on Jan. 17, discussed interviews with potential new board members and the school’s recent acceptance into the Medicaid program before yielding to a disgruntled parent. The school already has a full-time staff nurse, but McDonogh City Park will now be able to seek Medicaid reimbursement for some […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Spring Fair moved up a month; closing-time mandate responds to neighborhood violence
ARISE Academy will host its Spring Fair on March 9, a month earlier than originally scheduled and will hold another fair in July, the school’s board of trustees said at its monthly meeting Jan. 18. According to the board, the fair will be a chance for parents to educate themselves about the school programs and […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board rejects move to former McDonogh 7 campus; faculty stabilizing after departures
At the Lagniappe Academies board meeting on Jan. 8, chairman Ray Smart said that a potential relocation campus was unacceptable. Smart informed board members that representatives from Lagniappe had recently visited the old McDonogh 7 campus on offer by the Recovery School District and concluded that the outdated building had serious heating and cooling problems […]