The school board plans to hire an auditing firm to investigate finances at Harney and other schools.
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 inInside the News Room
Week in Review: Entergy’s $1.3 million power plant campaign; more fake subpoenas; climate change and New Orleans
How Entergy spent $1.3 million to polish its reputation, script support and monitor opposition to its new power plant Our reporting on paid actors who helped pack public meetings to pad support for Entergy’s new power plant was just the tip of the iceberg. This week, we take you behind the $1.3 million campaign for a new […]
Posted inInside the News Room
The Lens’ Week in Review: Charter boards must add parents and a look at The Lens’ June
New Orleans charter schools add parents to boards to increase parent involvement New Orleans charter schools are adding a parent or alumni to their boards to comply with an Orleans Parish school district policy that recently became law. One local charter banned having parents on its governing board in 2016, after a few turbulent years […]
Posted inSchools
New Orleans charter schools add parents to boards to increase parent involvement
Some charter leaders question whether the requirement is an intrusion on their autonomy.
Posted inSchools
Orleans school district requests more financial records from Harney charter school
The Central City charter school withheld employees’ retirement contributions for months.
Posted inSchools
Brady’s room: One family navigates special education in New Orleans
Brady LaFleur, who has autism and Down syndrome, has spent much of the last year learning one-on-one in a special room in the old McDonogh 35 building. Now the building is being gutted. Brady needs a new space to accommodate him, and the school district isn’t going to find it for him.
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Harney charter school withheld employees retirement funds for months
A similar case in Maryland resulted in a federal theft conviction.
Posted inInside the News Room
Week in Review: Documents provide new insight on Entergy’s astroturfing campaign
We have news from around the city — and our own newsroom — in this week’s roundup. Founder Karen Gadbois is reactivating her prize-winning coverage of land use. Watch her interview reflecting on our humble beginnings and then read about our new plans below. Want to get news as it breaks? Sign up for our email […]
Posted inSchools
No public discussion or vote as Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy picks new leader
Five-candidate list of contenders also kept from public review.
Posted inSchools
District could have acted earlier as Cypress Academy neared collapse
The Orleans Parish School Board cast itself as a rescue squad in taking charge of Cypress Academy after the charter school announced, three days before summer vacation, that it would not be reopening in the fall. Some parents and education community leaders are wondering if the school board’s hands-off approach wasn’t the problem from which […]