Charter School Board

ReNEW Schools

ReNEW votes to add another school to its network

ReNEW’s board of directors voted Thursday to expand the four-school network by taking on another school next year. ReNEW currently serves about 2,400 students and with the additional elementary school, the network will aim to serve 3,300 students.

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Vouchers, low school scores cut enrollment; budget gap explained

Between 20 and 25 percent cumulatively of last year’s top undergraduates did not re-enroll in ReNEW schools this year, chief executive officer Gary Robichaux told the charter management organization’s board of directors at their monthly meeting in October. Robichaux cited the state voucher program and low school performance scores—both SciTech and Batiste Cultural Arts Academy are ranked “F”—as prime reasons for the drop-off.

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ReNEW board approves amended bylaws

During the ReNEW Schools board meeting Sept. 13, board member Kathy Conklin led discussions regarding bylaw revisions to the Charter Management Organization document.

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Fundraisers to fuel year-end field trips

An “End of Year Field Studies” program that aims to send nearly seven hundred students to centers of art and science throughout the country was announced at the monthly ReNEW Schools board meeting, August 9. The program, created by recently-appointed Development Director Pete Rodway, is designed to offer students  educational trips at year’s end to enhance their learning outcomes.

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[Correction] ReNEW considers chartering more schools as performance scores rate at the "F" level

ReNEW’s board of directors learned at its June meeting that two of the network’s three elementary schools will likely meet their internal school performance score targets. Chief Executive Officer Gary Robichaux said SciTech Academy and Reed Elementary are predicted to score 71 and 65, respectively.  Robichaux’s predicted score of 63 for Batiste Cultural Arts Academy is five points below ReNEW’s target score.  With those scores, each school would receive an ‘D’ ‘F’ grade for performance.

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Funding cuts and low school scores offset by selection for federal arts program

At their monthly board meeting, May 10, ReNEW’s board of directors learned about new programs and cuts to anticipated funding reimbursements. Controller Tanya Bryant said cuts from the federal Title I program – which augments funding for low-income and at-risk students – came to about $80,000 after it was determined that students over age 18 do not qualify for the support.

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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 which to make decisions on such issues as transportation and faculty needs, based on projected enrollment.

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Students eligible for private-school voucher

The state Department of Education today released the list of New Orleans schools eligible to participate in its voucher program. The program, called the Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program, has for the past three years offered low-income students from low-performing public schools the chance to attend the private school of their choice, with the state paying the bill for tuition and fees.

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