Message from the School Board President: August 29, 2006

ORLEANS PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS - A YEAR IN REVIEW

 

As our city looks over the past year, I am reminded of our school district’s challenging year. You probably remember that on August 18, 2005, 124 Orleans Parish Public schools opened our doors to 56,000 students.   There was much optimism that this was going to be a successful year:  test scores were up, Superintendent Ora Watson had taken the reins, Alvarez & Marsal was on board and ready to tackle our financial problems. 

Our new board had a few months under its belt and we were more confident of our ability to improve the schools.  Everyone was upbeat as we rang the bell on the first day. 

Then the infamous Katrina arrived and changed all our lives.  The storm wreaked its devastation on our city and our people, and also on our schools and our students.  Like most of New Orleans’ citizens, Superintendent Ora Watson and Assistant Superintendent Darryl Kilbert both lost their homes to the flood.  Three of our board member also lost their homes and one sustained substantial damage.  Some also lost their places of employment and all board members were relocated to other areas of Louisiana and Texas.  Most of our teachers and other employees experienced the same losses.

Dr. Watson and Darryl Kilbert returned almost immediately, moved into the State Department of Education offices in Baton Rouge, and began to assemble a handful of staff.  Bill Roberti and his Alvarez & Marsal team arrived and everyone set about the painstaking task of trying to recapture files and records from the flood, contacting the 7,500 employees and 56,000 students who were scattered to 50 states, recapturing bank accounts and beginning to function as a school district again.  It was an awesome job, but the team pressed forward.

Employees had to be paid, so a system of deposits and payments through Western Union was devised and a hot line and web page were established for communication.  Students who registered in out of town schools required their school records.  As the water receded, an assessment had to be made of the extent of the damage, which required risky and difficult visits to the damaged schools. 

Our first post-Katrina Board meeting was in Baton Rouge in the BESE boardroom.  All members were in attendance for a presentation by Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of Great City Schools, whose team had performed an assessment of the damage:  eighty-four schools flooded, and the others had severe wind and/or mold damage; in addition, the school administration building was damaged to the point that it could no longer be used. 

The Board grimly accepted the bad news, and asked Alvarez & Marsal to develop a plan for reopening the schools.  Demand was already building for schools as families returned to their damaged homes. 

On October 24th, the administration returned to New Orleans with determination to open schools.  They set up a temporary office in an unused school building and began to open schools.  The first to open its doors was Ben Franklin Elementary.  Everyone rejoiced as we watched hundreds of bright eyed children pass through the doors of their classrooms, their teachers lovingly greeting them and promising a good school year.  For a while, everyone put aside their personal troubles to make sure the children were accommodated.

As the weeks passed, McMain and McDonogh 35 opened, followed by New Orleans Math and Science and Bethune on the east bank. 

During this period, the Board then agreed to allow Algiers residents to form a charter association and to charter schools on the west bank.  Soon, O. Perry Walker, Harte, Eisenhower, Behrman and Karr opened their doors.  It seemed that every time we managed to repair and open a school, it was immediately filled with students anxious to return to their education.  Somehow school helped them forget the tragedy of Katrina and return to some normalcy, although most of them were commuting many miles to attend school. 

By the end of December, there were approximately 2,000 students in six public schools in Orleans.

In November, the Legislature, led by the Governor and Louisiana Education Superintendent Cecil Picard had passed legislation that gave the state the authority to take over 103 of our Orleans Parish schools.  The School Board retained 17 of the high performing schools.  Some opposed this move and protested it vigorously, especially when it forced the Orleans Parish School Board to lay off all but a handful of our former employees, including many devoted teachers.

As the Recovery School District organized, more community residents, parents, teachers and others came before the school board with applications to charter several more of our schools.  Among these were Ben Franklin Senior High, Lusher Elementary and Middle, Math and Science, Audubon Montessori, Lake Forest and more recently, Hynes, Easton, Einstein and Priestly. 

By July 31, the last day of the 2006 spring semester, including the newly opened McMain PM school, the Orleans school district included five schools being operated by the District office and 12 charters, and was accommodating over 6,000 students.  Combined with the Algiers Charter Schools and the State Recovery District, there were nearly 12,000 children in 25 public schools in New Orleans.

We are extremely grateful for all the many people, especially our teachers and students, who have helped us to make progress over this past year.  There are many positive signs that the coming semester will be even better.  A year later, with Katrina behind us, we are beginning this school term with great anticipation. 

We have formed a close partnership with State Education Superintendent Cecile Picard and Recovery School District Superintendent Robin Jarvis and are working hard to assist them in opening schools.  Our teachers and theirs have had many hours of professional development together.  We intend to provide a Unified School System that will provide high quality education for the first time in many years to all students.   We are developing a plan to greatly improve our school facilities and build new ones.  We are working hard to solve our system’s financial problems and seek additional funding to build model schools.

We have new leadership in Acting Superintendent Darryl Kilbert and our newly hired Chief Financial Officer, Stan Smith.  Alvarez & Marsal is completing its contract and in December will return financial control with our system in the best financial position in years.  Community leaders and citizens are restoring their faith in our school system.  And our students are showing their appreciation working hard.

While Katrina brought much sadness and hardship to our city and our schools, we have picked ourselves up and are moving forward.   We have a unique opportunity to become one of the leading school districts in the country.  We call on parents, administrators, teachers, citizens and elected representatives to join with us.  Our students are the seeds of recovery of our city and our key to a successful and happy New Orleans.  Let us look forward with hope and promise for a bright future.


Thank you most sincerely,



Phyllis Landrieu

President