OPSB Statement on Renaming Schools

We want our schools to be welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring environments for our students each day. A key part of that is ensuring that the names of our schools and the people that we honor through naming are reflective of the values of our district. Some of our schools and buildings currently carry names that are associated with the painful legacy of racism and discrimination, and this must change.

We are encouraged to see school communities lead and organize around this important issue. We hear the call for change from our community, and we are prepared to answer with supportive action. The Orleans Parish School Board and NOLA Public Schools are actively reviewing Policy FDC regarding the naming of school facilities. We are currently working with school communities, including current students and alumni, teachers, families, and staff, to identify new options for names that better represent our values. We look forward to offering new names that reflect our District’s values for board consideration at our upcoming board meeting in July.

What we are clear about is that beyond name changes, we must ensure that our practices and policies provide our students with safe, anti-racist, and equitable school settings. We are serious about this work and will continue to engage with our community to identify opportunities for systemic change across the district.

In Service,

Ethan Ashley

Board President

Orleans Parish School Board

America’s Great War: Inaction vs. Tacit Acceptance of Racism!

As a Black man, and elected official, the last few months have been a more intense and visible example of what it’s always been like to be Black in America. Can the combination of a worldwide pandemic and national race war finally speed up the long arc towards justice? 

Our public education system was birthed under the conditions of both racism and classism. When the highest Court of the land has to rule on providing “separate but equal” education, it means prior to the ruling that the education provided by the public school system wasn’t equal. We know that the Supreme Court did not end there; the Court went on to order the desegregation of once lawfully segregated schools. The result of this historic ruling was anger, hate, and ultimately white flight. We have never healed from this ruling as a nation.

Our public school system today is one of the most segregated systems in the country, right next to the church.  It is impossible to legislate white citizens to feel, value, and therefore act equal to our Black citizens. We can’t force White children to go to school with Black children, and as long as there is an alternative choice to be educated, history tells us that white families will choose not to integrate schools with Black families. I have been told by close white friends that it is a sacrifice to put their children in predominantly Black schools, even if they are high performing. In New Orleans, one of our highest performing elementary schools is predominately Black- Lake Forest Charter School, which is located in the East of New Orleans. The number of applications from white families can be counted on one hand. On the contrary, Black families who send their children to high performing predominately white schools are seen as somehow privileged by the experience. To be clear, Black families sending their children to predominantly white schools is definitely a sacrifice. In one of the most powerful nations in the world, these types of sacrifices shouldn’t have to be made. And yet, these sacrifices will continue, unless we, the public, commit to taking action to change it. Those who do not act are tacitly accepting of our current racist system.  

Like many, I have felt overwhelmed during this moment of national unrest. I personally contracted the COVID-19 virus, and successfully fought and recovered from it, all while being tasked with leading my school board as Board President during a global pandemic and national race war sparked by another unarmed killing of a Black person. No leader, sick or not, is ready to deal with all of these monumental tasks, but I endeavor to do just that because I am committed to acting to combat systemic racism within my sphere of influence.

In responding to this moment, I centered myself on the courage that I knew it would take to lead and created a plan of attack. First, I had to respond to the pandemic for our students and families and led our District as the first in Louisiana to call for a state of emergency and make available $5,000,000 of funding for distance learning, child nutrition, and school sanitation. Second, I had to recover from COVID-19 - a disease that I am disproportionately more likely to die from, with Black Louisianans currently making up 54% of the COVID-19 related deaths while only making up 33% of the state’s population. Then, after being faced with the killing of another unarmed Black person, I drafted a document that included everything that I want to see done to right 400 years of wrongs.

I was told once that we can’t rewrite history, but we can right the wrongs of history. The drafted document I created was a resolution calling for a policy change that would be crafted by a racial equity expert to combat systemic racism within our school system. Our school system in New Orleans is Predominately Black; and as such, we must provide our students with the protections, assurances, and actions necessary to ensure that they will not become the next victims of systemic racism, by any means necessary. The phrase- by any means necessary- was made famous in 1965, when Malcolm X said these words: “[w]e declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” And, while these words are still relevant today, they also are a call to action. It is my duty to take steps to move our system and country forward by committing to root out racial inequalities within our system. For, in the end, change starts one system at a time.

I am committed, like many of my school board colleagues, to answering the call of this time to address systemic racism within schools. We can't wait for another generation, or even another year, to actively work to change our system. The sacrifices that will need to be made will not be radical; however, they will focus on simple action(s) that will create a better anti-racist future for all of our students in our schools. In the end, we all have a part to play in changing our world. If you are leading a system, the burden is on you to root out systemic racism in both policy and practice with the support of experts. For we must be the change that we seek to create.

OPSB’s Commitment to Lead our District Through COVID-19

OPSB’s Commitment to Lead our District Through COVID-19  

During these uncertain times, I pray that you and your families are safe and in good health. I am encouraged by the resilience and steadfast leadership of our community. My partner reminds me that sometimes stepping up requires stepping back in uncertain times to listen and learn. Listening to the stories of our community working collectively to flatten the curve and learning alongside all of you on how best to support our students, their families, and all those that contribute to creating the best possible learning environment for our youth is truly inspiring.

You are doing your part as a community to ensure the long-term success of our city, and as President of the Orleans Parish School Board I want to ensure you that we are working during this pandemic to ensure the short- and long-term success of our system for our students, families, educators, support staff and community. As we contribute to managing the public health crisis, we are committed to conducting the business of serving the needs of our students and schools in a way that aligns with public health guidance and the safety of our community. We are committed to ensuring that our District is:

1)    Meeting the immediate and long-term needs of our students, families, educators and support staff;

2)    Being transparent as we continue to move the long-term goals of the District; and

3)    Working with other government, non-profit, for-profit, and philanthropy organizations to continue securing the resources necessary to grow the impact of our District. 

As we face the challenges of this pandemic, our District is focused on ensuring that our students are receiving proper nutrition, have access to the internet and electronic equipment during time away from our school buildings, and are supporting our schools to provide mental health services to our students. I am proud to say that our District led the state with our investment of $5 million dollars to purchase hotspots and Chromebooks to ensure that all of our students can participate in distance learning. We led the state in standing up 43 feeding sites for our students - serving more than a million meals to date. We are committed to working alongside the whole community to meet the current challenges presented by this pandemic for our students and families. As such, we have put together both a community resource and COVID-19 update page for students and families that provide information on the following:

·      Distance Learning Resources for Families

·      Behavioral and Mental Health Support

·      Food Pantry and Community Feeding Locations

·      Job Opportunities

·      Utilities Support

·      Donations and Volunteer Support

·      Rent/mortgage assistance

·      Unemployment Assistance

Upon conclusion of the school year, our board and district began shifting our focus to planning for the reopening of schools and immediately pulled together a diverse group of leaders to form a reopening schools task force. We have been meeting weekly with the NOLA-PS Reopening Schools Task Force – a diverse group of school leaders, teachers, social workers, medical experts, parents, city officials, and other key experts- which is tasked with advising district administration and the board on the development of a plan (“Reopening Roadmap”) to safely reconvene school for the upcoming year. A top priority of the District within the plan is to ensure the health and well-being of our students, teachers, staff, and families by setting the proper standards and maintaining accountability for all of our schools. And we will also work with our schools to ensure that all students are served equitably across the District, whether they are in the classroom or at home.  We completed and released the Reopening Roadmap this week, which can be accessed on the District website here: https://nolapublicschools.com/roadmap. 

 Listening to our community has been a key part of charting the path forward on the Reopening Roadmap. Our citywide Public Education Survey received over 7,227 responses from community members who shared their feedback on how COVID-19 has affected public education and how to best return to school in the fall. We have analyzed these survey results and used these insights to inform our plans for reopening.  

 While our first priorities are safety and addressing the needs of our students, families, and educators during this pandemic, we are also committed to continuing our efforts to improve our District. We recognize and are committed to transparency in the service of the students, families, school administrators, and support staff of OPSB and are taking the following actions:

·      Publishing our agenda earlier than legally required to ensure that our community has additional time to review our agenda.

·      Allowing our community members the opportunity to email their comments on a particular agenda action prior to the meeting at this email address: boardmeetingfeedback@nolapublicschools.com. These comments will be reflected in our official board minutes.  This is being allowed in addition to the usual public comment policy to ensure maximum public participation in virtual meetings being held during this pandemic.

 Our school board is committed to doing the work that we are elected to do and will work alongside the community to ensure proper time and opportunity for everyone to participate in creating the best outcomes possible during this challenging time for the students, families, administrative and support staff and educators of OPSB.

 Partnerships continue to be a critical pathway to our success. OPSB is at its best when working alongside students and families, members of the community, faith-based and community-based organizations, government partners, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and with one another. I am grateful for the many partners who have already stepped up to support our students, educators, support and administrative staff, and community. 

·      Our philanthropic partners have provided over $500,000 of aid to support our technology needs of our students.

·      Our private communications companies have provided free and reduced internet for our families and students to connect.

 This shared unity of mission to work together and secure the resources needed to improve the living and learning environments for our students and families is vital during these times. I look forward to continuing to lead efforts on behalf of our District to build partnerships that result in resources. 

 What I am clear about at this moment is that our children not only need but deserve our very best effort to meet the challenge of serving all of our students well in a pandemic. As Board President, I am committed to meeting the challenges offered by COVID-19 for our students, families, and educators; and I hope you will join and support my leadership in this unprecedented time.

 If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, please feel free to reach out to me directly at eashley@nolapublicschools.com.

Thank you,

Ethan Ashley 

A MESSAGE FROM THE ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

OPSB’s Commitment to Lead our District Through COVID-19 

During these uncertain times, I pray that you and your families are safe and in good health. I am encouraged by the resilience and steadfast leadership of our community. My partner reminds me that sometimes stepping up requires stepping back in uncertain times to listen and learn. Listening to the stories of our community working collectively to flatten the curve and learning alongside all of you on how best to support our students, their families, and all those that contribute to creating the best possible learning environment for our youth is truly inspiring.

You are doing your part as a community to ensure the long-term success of our city, and as President of the Orleans Parish School Board I want to ensure you that we are working during this pandemic to ensure the short- and long-term success of our system for our students, families, educators, support staff and community. As we contribute to managing the public health crisis, we are committed to conducting the business of serving the needs of our students and schools in a way that aligns with public health guidance and the safety of our community. We are committed to ensuring that our District is:

1. Meeting the immediate needs of our students, families, educators and support staff;

2. Being transparent as we continue to move the long-term goals of the District; and

3. Working with other government, non-profit, for-profit, and philanthropy organizations to continue securing the resources necessary to grow the impact of our District. 

As we face the challenges of this pandemic, our District is focused on ensuring that our students are receiving proper nutrition, have access to the internet and electronic equipment during time away from our school buildings, and are supporting our schools to provide mental health services to our students. I am proud to say that our District led the state with our investment of $5 million dollars to purchase hotspots and Chromebooks to ensure that all of our students can participate in distance learning. We led the state in standing up 43 feeding sites for our students - serving more than 660,000 meals to date. We are committed to working alongside the whole community to meet the current challenges presented by this pandemic for our students and families. As such, we have put together both a community resource and COVID-19 update page for students and families that provide information on the following:

• Distance Learning Resources for Families

• Behavioral and Mental Health Support

• Food Pantry and Community Feeding Locations

• Job Opportunities

• Utilities Support

• Donations and Volunteer Support

• Rent/mortgage assistance

• Unemployment Assistance

While our first priorities are safety and addressing the needs of our students, families, and educators during this pandemic, we are also committed to continuing our efforts to improve our District. We recognize and are committed to transparency in service of the students, families, school administrators, and support staff of OPSB and are taking the following actions:

• Publishing our agenda earlier than legally required to ensure that our community has additional time to review our agenda.

• Allowing our community members the opportunity to email their comments on a particular agenda action prior to the meeting at this email address: boardmeetingfeedback@nolapublicschools.com. These comments will be reflected in our official board minutes. This is being allowed in addition to the usual public comment policy to ensure maximum public participation in virtual meetings being held during this pandemic.

Our school board is committed to doing the work that we are elected to do and will work alongside the community to ensure proper time and opportunity for everyone to participate in creating the best outcomes possible during this challenging time for the students, families, administrative and support staff and educators of OPSB.

Partnerships continue to be a critical pathway to our success. OPSB is at its best when working alongside students and families, members of the community, faith-based and community-based organizations, government partners, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and with one another. I am grateful for the many partners who have already stepped up to support our students, educators, support and administrative staff, and community.

• Our philanthropic partners have provided over $500,000 of aid to support our technology needs of our students.

• Our private communications companies have provided free and reduced internet for our families and students to connect.

• Individual city councilmembers like Jared Brossett have donated Proper Protective Equipment for our educators who are providing food through our citywide feeding program.

This shared unity of mission to work together and secure the resources needed to improve the living and learning environments for our students and families is vital during these times. I look forward to continuing to lead efforts on behalf of our District to build partnerships that result in resources. 

What I am clear about at this moment is that our children not only need but deserve our very best effort to meet the challenge of serving all of our students well in a pandemic. As board president, I am committed to meeting the challenges offered by COVID-19 for our students, families, and educators; and I hope you will join and support my leadership in this unprecedented time.

In Service,

Ethan Ashley

Orleans Parish School Board President    

Celebrating my 30th Birthday!

2019 Black Millenials Political Convention

Meet the 2019 Legacy Scholarship Recipients

Jaelynn Maldonado

What legacy did you create and how will your legacy impact your community?

The legacy I created was being a voice to show the importance of mental health for students in my community. As a representative for Comprehensive Student Support Services for the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, I fastened the small details of my personal experiences and struggles of living in an abusive household, into words that could help students get the comfort and guidance we secretly longed for. For the students who are overwhelmed by the thoughts and emotions stimulated by their environment, I wanted them to know that there is someone here for them. I pushed the idea on the council- which would eventually present our cumulative ideas to the OPSB- that it should be mandatory for teachers and other administrative staff to attend counseling and sensitivity classes than can teach them to learn how to be understanding of the environment/culture our students live in and be effective outlets for students to talk to. I plan to continue this sort of impact when I reach college and life beyond college. I plan on furthering my education by speci¦cally majoring in Psychology Pre-Med and minoring in Spanish at Spelman College, so that I can attend Medical School and become a psychiatrist. I want to be able to cater help for mental health by specializing in holistic medicine to children of color and children of Hispanic descent as well.

Who in your community has a legacy that you seek to model and why?

My grandmother, Sandra Rene, is a legacy that I seek to model. Although she is quite quiet and not as outwardly vocal in the community, her principles inspire me. She is a ¦rm believer in the importance of eating healthy and exercising as a better and healthier route to taking medication. Her holistic approach on the status of her health is what inspires me to practice holistic medicine with my patients. Though it is something so simple and something that everyone should be doing, a lot of people in or community have the misconception that eating "healthy" is too expensive and starting the habit of daily exercise and healthy cooking will prove to be too difficult. My grandmother teaches people in her neighborhood and in Haiti (during her nursing trips) the basics of where to start. She educates people how easily they can buy something affordable from their local Walmart or fresh market, and easily cook a healthy, fulfilling meal for their self and their household. Though majority of the city may not know who she is, she is an undercover hero and it would be an I honor to elaborate and fulfill the agenda she has already set out.

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Tyreyana Irby

What legacy did you create and how will your legacy impact your community?

In high school, I was known for having great hair. I love doing hair and ¦nding ways to make women or anyone feel better about themselves. If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you do good. I aspire to help people look better, then think better, then act better. I intend to expand my business and start more to the point where it's inspiring.

Who in your community has a legacy that you seek to model and why?

Social media in§uencer/cosmetic entrepreneur Supa Cent has a legacy that I admire. To upgrade from being a waitress to a millionaire using a cosmetic line is inspiring. She's still very humble and gives back to our community daily. I seek to model that one day soon.

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Tyson Brown

What legacy did you create and how will your legacy impact your community?

In high school the legacy I created was Leadership!… I was crowned Mr Carver because of the leadership and enthusiasm I had towards my teammates and peers. I was an ambassador for my school and when the middle schoolers came in I welcomed them showed them a good time and I just want to pass down the thrown of being the face of Carver. I want to be the ¦rst to go to a university in my family so I have to strive to be the best.

Who in your community has a legacy that you seek to model and why?

In my community Mr Eddie Scott has a legacy I seek to model because he runs the Housing Authority of New Orleans. He helps children get jobs for the summer and if they like it he might let that be their permanent job. He also helps seniors get into college well, mostly Grambling because that's where he graduated from. He always give back to the community for Homecoming or if Carver ever have something. He shows the value of Black Excellence.

3rd Annual Legacy Scholarship for District 2 Students Applications Now Open

For Immediate Release

Orleans Parish School Board Member Ethan Ashley Announces 3rd Annual Legacy Scholarship for District 2 Students

February 25, 2019

NEW ORLEANS- Orleans Parish School Board Member Ethan Ashley is pleased to announce the launch of his 3rd annual Legacy Scholarship for college bound public school seniors who reside in District 2. The scholarship will reward young leaders in the community who are creating a legacy of educational excellence. Thus, this scholarship has been coined the “Legacy Scholarship.”

School Board Member Ashley believes “[a]s a school board member, I have a duty to leverage my position to support the success of our students. I know that providing college bound seniors with a few extra dollars can truly make a difference.” There have been three recipients of the District 2 scholarship. All of the past recipients are matriculating through college: Ms. Chelby Sterling a 2017 scholarship recipient and current sophomore at Tulane University; Ms. Corazon Johnston a 2018 scholarship recipient and current freshman at Stanford University; and Ms. Imani Edwards a 2018 scholarship recipient and current freshman at Vanderbilt University. “I am excited to have three scholars from New Orleans working to complete their college degree and it is my mission to support as many students as I can. I was inspired to create this scholarship due to the financial aid cuts to higher education and the overwhelming burden on students and their families to pay for steady increasing cost of college tuition.”

School Board Member Ashley funds the District 2 Legacy Scholarship through his apparel line, EthanCharles Designs. EthanCharles Designs is a social conscious movement captured and organized through apparel. The first collection is the 4Ls (Love, Legacy, Leadership and Logic). All proceeds received are used to fund the District 2 Legacy Scholarship. If you would like to donate to support the District 2 Legacy scholarship, you can do so here.

Applications are currently being accepted. To receive more information about and apply for the scholarship, please visit www.ethanashley.org or click here.

My vision for the education system in New Orleans...

1. Every child reading on grade level 

2. Every child being pushed to maximize their academic, social, emotional and physical talents 

3. Every child accessing an internship and job skills training

4. Parents provided supports (resources and opportunities) to ensure that their students can simply focus on doing their best in school 

5. Community businesses are able to access contractual opportunities to expand their economic capital

6. Every child provided a college course and trip 

7. Every child attending high school is provided counseling for mental health

8. Every child provided financial literacy and voter education 

9. Every child provided an exposure trip 

10. Every child graduates from high school with a plan for success as well as a job and or college acceptance 

11. No children enter the juvenile/criminal justice system; and, students in the system are transitioned back into a traditional high school setting, if appropriate

12. Every student has access to the latest technology and textbooks 

13. Every OPSB graduate who attends college and is employed at an OPSB school to teach will receive help to pay off their student loans from the District

14. Children can walk to school and have access to a high performing school (B School Performance Score or higher)

15. Every child's life trajectory is examined and an individualized education and support plan is provided to help move students from low income to middle class

16. We centralize the school calendar, transportation, expulsions. 

17. The Orleans Parish School Board directly manages district led schools through the innovation schools model as well as increases the amount of school options (specialized programs for law, police academy, STEM, etc.) for students and families

Overall, the one thing I am clear about, we are not solving for the most important problem: POVERTY, often times generational, at that. Beyond the governance issues, we need to focus our collective efforts on funding early childhood education, increasing the base MFP to provide more resources in the classroom for students, incentives and supports to not only recruit, but maintain strong teachers, and resources/services to support families in need. All of this will take innovation, resources and collective support by all levels of government.

OPSB Announces its Plan for McDonogh 35 Senior High School

Media Contact:

Dominique Ellis

 (504) 250-0030

communications@opsb.us

THE ORLEANS PARISH SCHOOL BOARD ANNOUNCES ITS PLAN FOR STUDENT SUCCESS AND STABILIZATION FOR MCDONOGH 35 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

New Ninth Grade Academy to Open Under Inspire NOLA at Historic Public School

NEW ORLEANS – (Dec. 20, 2018) – Today, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) announced its plan for student success and long-term stabilization of McDonogh 35.  The district has chosen Inspire NOLA as the future charter operator of McDonogh 35 Senior High School. McDonogh 35 High School will remain an open enrollment public school.

“This decision will restore and uplift the academic legacy of this much beloved school while maintaining its cultural importance,” stated Board President John A. Brown, Sr.

The chosen charter operator, which also oversees ‘A’ rated Edna Karr High School, was selected after several long and rigorous charter requests for application (RFA) cycles over the past few years.. With five schools under its charter currently, Inspire NOLA has a long history of transforming failing schools into high scoring programs in Orleans Parish.

The new ninth grade academy will open in the 2019-2020 school year. The open enrollment academy has already been added as an option on the OneApp as McDonogh #35 College Preparatory High School. With a desire to maintain the unique and storied legacy of McDonogh 35, under the new charter agreement the school will maintain its name, school colors and mascot. 

“McDonogh 35 is not just one of the most remarkable, historic high schools in our city, but the school has always produced graduates who excel in academics,” said Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr., Superintendent of Schools. “This decision was about ensuring that we can restore and continue that legacy of academic excellence. That is why we’ve made the decision to match this school with one of the highest performing charter management organization in our city. After weighing all of our options, we have no doubt that Inspire NOLA will advance the academic performance of McDonogh 35 High School to the next level for our students and families."

Since Hurricane Katrina, student performance at, McDonogh 35, one of the city’s most historic high schools, had fallen to a “D” according to the state Department of Education. “That is unacceptable for any high school, but especially for one as historic as McDonough 35,” stated to Dr. Lewis.

OPSB President Brown added, “Since 1917, McDonogh 35 has provided high quality high school education to African Americans. It produced many of our great leaders in politics and education. I know exactly what McDonogh 35 stands for, what it means to the community and what parents want for their children. Inspire NOLA prioritizes and maintains a diverse teaching staff and leadership team. I believe that with this type of focus, this operator will be a good fit for the school.”

Top graduates from McDonogh 35 have gone on to achieve recognition and prominence. Some of those graduates include:

·        Ernest Nathan Morial, first African-American mayor of New Orleans

·        Israel Meyer Augustine, Jr., first black elected judge of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court

·        Morris F.X. Jeff, Sr., former head of New Orleans Recreation Department's "colored" division

·        Joan Bernard Armstrong first female elected judge in Louisiana and first African American chief judge of the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

·        Neil Smith, former American football defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs who played at the University of Nebraska and a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos

·        Dr. Calvin Mackie, award-winning mentor, motivational speaker, and successful entrepreneur

·        Michael Smith, NFL reporter for ESPN and a senior writer for ESPN.com

·        Michael S. Harrison, Superintendent, New Orleans Police Department

·        James Carter, Former Councilman, City of New Orleans

·        Jared Brossett, Councilman, City of New Orleans

·        Darryl Kilbert, Former Superintendent of Orleans Parish School Board

·        Wesley Bishop Senator, Louisiana State Senate

Inspire NOLA is the top open admission charter management organization in New Orleans, serving more than 3,700 students in five schools including Alice Harte Charter School, Edna Karr High School, Andrew Wilson Charter School, 42 Charter School, Eleanor McMain Secondary School and Dwight Eisenhower. Edna Karr High School received a 104.3 SPS score and is in the Top 4 of open enrollment schools in the city. The charter operator hopes to bring this level of excellence to the new program at McDonogh 35 and has a track record of significantly improving academic performance of struggling schools.

Inspire NOLA is led by Jamar Mckneely.  Mr. Mckneely, who is the only African American male charter operator CEO in New Orleans, maintains a diverse staff with recent data showing 77 percent of staff identify as non-white.

“This is the type of investment that honors this school’s students and families and its proud history and secures its rightful place as a continuous leader in the New Orleans’ public education landscape for the next 100 years,” said District 3 OPSB Board Member Sarah Usdin.

Inspire NOLA’s application to begin a new high school was recommended for approval by the Superintendent last month at the November OPSB Board Business Meeting. With no objection raised by the board by today’s meeting the approval goes into effect. The Superintendent’s recommendation to have Inspire NOLA operate a new 9th grade academy at McDonogh 35 does not require a board vote.

In an effort to keep disruption to current students and staff to a minimum the OPSB also approved a resolution for Inspire NOLA to also act as the short-term operator for the remaining 10th, 11th and 12th grade students at McDonogh 35 to provide the academic and operational management necessary to successfully transition the school from a direct-run to a charter school during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years.

Additionally, at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to pass an action item that would allocate a total of $3.0 million from the McDonogh 35 transition fund to the McDonogh 35 Senior High School Budget over the Fiscal Year 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021 to aide in the transition process from direct-run to charter as the new school grows under Inspire NOLA.

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The OPSB currently oversees 78 public schools, including 75 charter schools, two direct-operated schools and a school with two educational programs for students in secure-care facilities. On July 1, all New Orleans public schools were unified under the oversight of the locally-elected Orleans Parish School Board for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Learn more about Unification here.

For more information, visit www.opsb.us. For updates, follow OPSB on Facebook, Instagram @orleansparishschoolboard and Twitter @_OPSB.

Celebrating the Unification of all schools in OPSB

July 1, 2018 - This was a special day of prayer and celebration, to have all of the schools in New Orleans unds the Orleans Parish School Board. We spend the day visiting with churches to ask for wisdom, prayer, and support. Here are some of the photos of the day.

June 2018 Board Meeting Update

Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent of Schools Presents Recommendation’s for Charter Applications for Spring 2018

Unification Advisory Committee Honored for Assistance in Unification Process

NEW ORLEANS – (June 7, 2018) – At the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) board business meeting on Thursday, June 7, the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. presented his recommendations on the Spring Charter Applications to the OPSB. The board honored members of the Unification Advisory Committee (UAC) for their assistance in planning for the transition of all public schools to come under the jurisdiction of the OPSB starting on July 1. Additionally this evening, the OPSB dedicated its board room to Dr. Everett J. Williams in honor of his service to education in Orleans Parish.

Superintendent’s Recommendations for Charter School Applications

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. presented his recommendations on the Spring Charter School Applications to the school board. In total, four organizations received a recommendation regarding their application to begin a new school (Type 1 – New Start), or transform an existing charter school under a new operator (Type 1 – Transformation).  They are as follows:

Summaries of both the independent evaluator and Superintendent’s recommendations as well as full applications will be available online at https://opsb.us/schools/open-a-school/spring-2018-opsb-charter-application-cycle/.

In January, the OPSB issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the spring cycle. Applications undergo a rigorous evaluation by an independent evaluator as well as the Superintendent of Schools. This cycle’s applications were reviewed by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. All applicants are also permitted to present their proposals at a public hearing, which was held on May 15 at the Orleans Parish School Board Room.

The OPSB has until the July Board Business Meeting on Thursday, July 19 to contest the Superintendent’s recommendations. If no contest is brought forth the recommendations will be confirmed and the applications either denied or approved accordingly.

Currently, nearly all public school students attend charter schools in New Orleans. Only nonprofit organizations may hold charters in Louisiana and application teams must include at least three Louisiana teachers certified by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

OPSB Honored the Unification Advisory Committee for Guidance, Assistance in Unification Process

The OPSB honored members of the Unification Advisory Committee (UAC) for their assistance in planning for the transition of all public schools to come under the jurisdiction of the district starting on July 1. This will be the first time the OPSB will have full oversight of all Orleans Parish public schools since Hurricane Katrina. The OPSB currently oversees 41 schools; however, once unification is complete and the remaining schools' transition from the oversight of the state’s Recovery School District (RSD), the OPSB will oversee more than 80 schools across the New Orleans area.

Formed in May 2016, the UAC was charged with developing the Unification Transition Plan for Orleans Parish public schools. The committee is comprised of representatives from charter operators and key education advocacy organizations. Those members are:

Current UAC Members

Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr., OPSB Superintendent

Kunjan Narechania, RSD State Superintendent

Sharon Clark, Charter Director for Sophie B. Wright Charter School

Jay Altman, CEO of FirstLine Schools

Kelly Batiste, CEO/Principal of Fannie C. Williams Charter School

Rene Lewis-Carter, CEO of Algiers Charter School Association

Jamar McKneely, CEO of InspireNOLA Charter Schools

Erika McConduit, President/CEO of Urban League of Greater New Orleans

Rhonda Kalifey-Aluise, CEO of KIPP New Orleans Schools

Dr. Doris Roche-Hicks, CEO/Principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School

Dr. Armand B. Devezin, OPSB Deputy Chief of Administration & Diversity

Former Members

Alexina Medley, former Principal of Warren Easton Charter High School

Deidre Johnson Burel, former Executive Director of Orleans Parish Education Network

Patrick Dobard, former RSD Superintendent

Nicolette London, former OPSB Chief Network/LEA Officer

OPSB Board Room Dedicated to Former Superintendent of Schools Dr. Everett Williams

Today, the OPSB dedicated its boardroom to Dr. Everett J. Williams in honor of his service to education in Orleans Parish. In 1985, the OPSB unanimously chose Dr. Williams to serve as the city’s first African-American superintendent of schools.

For over 35 years, Dr. Williams served as an administrator at some of New Orleans’ most important institutions of public learning, including McDonogh 35 High School and Carter G. Woodson Junior High School. Dr. Williams also served as Superintendent of Area 1 Schools and Auxiliary Services.

As superintendent, Dr. Williams created various programs and initiatives, such as Dollars for Scholars and the Superintendent’s Academic Awards. He pushed for quality education within New Orleans and won taxpayer approvals for significantly more classroom resources.

Aside from his work with New Orleans education, Dr. Williams also dedicated his time to a number of non-profit organizations. He served on and chaired numerous boards including Xavier University, Loyola University, Children’s Hospital, University Hospital, Boy Scouts of America, Crimestoppers and UNITY of Greater New Orleans. Dr. Williams received a St. Louis Medallion and the Pope John Paul II Award for a lifetime of service to the church, schools and New Orleans community.

2019 Fund Balance Appropriation to General Fund Budget – Central

The board voted to adopt Resolution 13-18 authorizing the allocation of $812,890.00 from the Orleans Parish School Board's general fund balance reserve to the 2019 General Fund Budget. This figure represents a 25 percent reduction from the prior year.

Revisions to Salary Scales

The OPSB has recently made adjustments to its salary scales. The changes were implemented with the goal of better allowing the district to continue to both attract and retain top talent. Currently, starting OPSB salaries rank toward the bottom compared to similar professions in the neighboring parishes.

To remain competitive, the board has voted to increase base salaries by five percent, maintain the OPSB stipend at $1,600 per year and alter the step progression for the following school-based positions: teachers, assistant principals, deans, paraeducators, school support positions, child nutrition, security officers, psychologists, appraisal social workers, speech pathologists and educational diagnosticians. Similar adjustments will also be implemented for employees in the central office.

OPSB Partnership Strategic Planning

The board approved a resolution supporting the development of a strategic plan for identifying and working with partner organizations to best serve the needs of students and families in a unified school district. The board accepted an offer of assistance from philanthropists, under the coordination of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, with retaining consultants to develop the plan, and empowering the Superintendent and administration to engage with said philanthropists to select the consultants and to apply the recommended plan in managing partnership work in a unified school district.

The OPSB currently oversees 41 schools, including 37 charter schools, and one educational program for students in secure care facilities. In July 2018 all public schools in New Orleans will again be under the jurisdiction of the OPSB.

For more information, visit www.opsb.us and OPSB Facebook and Twitter (@_OPSB) pages.

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April 2018 - OPSB Meeting Recap

Orleans Parish School Board Reaches Settlement Regarding Transportation with Einstein Charter Schools, Moves Forward with Willie Hall CEA

 NEW ORLEANS – (April 19, 2018) – At the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) board business meeting on Thursday, April 19, OPSB and Einstein Charter Schools reached a settlement regarding transportation. Additionally, the adoption of the Willie Hall Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) was approved to build recreational improvements at McDonogh 35. The OPSB also accepted a bid to install water filtration systems in all public schools.

Einstein Charter Schools

The OPSB and Einstein Charter Schools announced today that they reached settlement agreement that would resolve litigation concerning the provision of bus transportation and allow restitution to be paid. Due to the transportation dispute, the OPSB had initiated litigation and subsequently began a revocation process to terminate Einstein Charter Schools’ authority to run their Village De L’Est and Sherwood Forest schools for the next school year (2018-2019). Now that a satisfactory settlement has been reached, the OPSB has terminated the revocation process.

Adoption of Willie Hall CEA

The board voted to approve the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans and the OPSB for the purpose of building recreational improvements at McDonogh 35.

Invitation to Bid Water Filtration Systems

At the recommendation of the Budget & Finance Committee, the OPSB accepted a bid to install water filtration systems on drinking fountains in all public schools in Orleans Parish from Eco Systems, LLC. The budgeted amount of $800,000 has been previously allocated by the Board. A contract will follow.

Letter to Senator Troy Carter on OPSB's Efforts to Address Enrollment Concerns

The OPSB drafted a letter of support to Sen. Troy Carter regarding enrollment processes. The board thanked Sen. Carter for helping the OPSB’s efforts to address enrollment concerns in Orleans Parish.

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The OPSB currently oversees 41 schools, including 37 charter schools, and one educational program for students in secure care facilities. In July 2018 all public schools in New Orleans will again be under the jurisdiction of the OPSB.

For more information, visit www.opsb.us and OPSB Facebook and Twitter (@_OPSB) pages.