Warren Easton’s board of directors adopted new bylaws and appointed a second assistant principal at a marathon monthly meeting, March 14. The board promoted administrative assistant Mervin Jackson to the job of second assistant principal. The promotion comes with a $10,000 annual raise, which will be pro-rated for the remainder of the current school year. […]
Author Archives: Marta Jewson
Marta Jewson covers education in New Orleans for The Lens. She began her reporting career covering charter schools for The Lens and helped found the hyperlocal news site Mid-City Messenger. Jewson returned to New Orleans in the fall of 2014 after covering education for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with majors in journalism and social welfare and a concentration in educational policy studies.
Jewson has covered New Orleans schools for 15 years through the nation's largest education reform experiment. She was a founding member of the outlet's Charter School Reporting Corps and was instrumental in holding schools accountable to sunshine laws during the rapid expansion of charter schools in the city.
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Schools gain more discretion on spending; test scores call for more work
School leaders within the ReNEW network will have a bigger say in next year’s budgets, the ReNEW charter management organization announced at the monthly meeting of its board of directors, March 8. ReNEW’s chief executive officer Gary Robichaux informed the board that school leaders planning for the upcoming year will be given a template with […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Community clamors for high school; board retreat focuses on two-year plan
Einstein’s Charter School’s board of directors focused on a multi-year plan and bylaw revisions as they met on March 10 for a development retreat. A visit from principal Shawn Toranto kicked off the meeting. She addressed the board about the long-term goal of opening a high school. Toranto is concerned with the lack of high […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board veep quits; school counting on $370G reimbursement; seeks to replace portables
Einstein Charter School’s board of directors announced the resignation of former vice president Roland Doucette as they gathered March 6 for their monthly meeting. Doucette submitted his letter of resignation a day after spirited debate at February’s board meeting. Board President Ramona Perkins acknowledged that his resignation was a big loss, especially in light of […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Fingerprinting, background checks ordered for all staff – board members, too; guard hired
Warren Easton’s board of directors and all school staff must undergo background checks, the board voted at its monthly meeting, Feb. 12. In other business, principal Alexina Medley reported on the fatal shooting of senior Tirrell Jackson during a scuffle at a residence in eastern New Orleans. (The New Orleans Police Department’s report of the […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
RSD assigns liaisons for continuing contact with network administrators; bequest yields $50G
Directors of ReNEW Charter Schools met with Recovery School District officials, and also received a $50,000 donation at their monthly board meeting, Feb. 9. The board passed a resolution to accept a conditional charitable donation of $50,000 over five years. The donation comes from the estate of a teacher’s parent, and the money will be […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
New telecom service could slash costs by 90%; ways to boost parent involvement spark debate
Einstein Charter’s board of directors has embraced a proposal for a new telecommunication service that is expected to save the school thousands of dollars, starting next fall. At the board’s monthly meeting, Feb. 7, Phong Ha Tran, who manages the school’s information technology and data, presented the proposal to switch service providers. The school currently […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Interim ANet scores reveal weakness in mathematics; principal evaluations about to begin
Directors of the Capital One-New Beginnings Charter School Network discussed audit findings and mid-term testing results as they met Jan. 31 for the first time since October. The meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. began at 5:20 p.m. without a quorum. The board did not reach a quorum until member Avione Pichon arrived at 5:28 p.m. […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Supplemental services hired in struggle to raise school's performance score; takeover feared
The Treme Charter School Association has voted to increase supplemental services for targeted students in preparation for spring testing. The board, which governs McDonogh 42 Elementary Charter School, met Jan. 28. Prior to the meeting the school hosted a community forum. About 40 people were in attendance and 10 stayed for the board meeting. “The […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board meets group of parents and faculty from elementary school it will take over next year
Parents of Craig Elementary School students got a chance on Jan. 26 to meet with the charter board — Friends of King Inc. — selected to take over the Treme school in an attempt to turn it around academically. Some parents expressed resistance to the very idea of chartering, but seemed to grow more optimistic […]