|
Brought to you by
|
|
This email is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools and is not an official correspondence from the RSD, BESE, nor any other state agency
|
|
|
Greetings!
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a meeting of its Committee of the Whole, Administration and Finance Committee, and School Innovation and Turnaround Committee at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in the Auditorium of the Walter L. Cohen High School.
The posted agenda and back-up documentation for the meeting can be found here.
***This email is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools and is not an official correspondence from the RSD, BESE, nor any other state agency*** |
|
MAY 29 BESE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (RSD MATTERS ONLY)
|
|
Superintendent's Report
Received report from RSD Superintendent Patrick Dobard
-
Reported significant growth in LEAP and iLEAP tests since 2008
-
Summary of scores can be read here
-
Stressed greater focus on college and career readiness at HS level
-
Reported higher percentages of HS students taking the ACT
-
BESE Member C. Hill also gave kudos to OPSB for the high scores of its students
RSD Finance Issues
Received recommendation from RSD Administration and took action as indicated
Consent Agenda
Received reports from RSD Administration and approved as Consent Agenda items without further discussion
RSD Management Issues
Received and discussed reports and took action as indicated
- OneApp enrollment process for 2013-2014
- Received and discussed report from RSD Administration
- Approximately 27,500 students participated in first round
- 75% selected to stay at their current schools
- 71.5% of those choosing other schools were accepted into one of their top three choices
- Sibling preference feature is working better and special consideration for changes will be given if siblings are still separated
- Second round is going on now through June 17
- Third round will be from July 10 through 22
- For the following year 2014-2015, Plessy School, Bricolage Acdemy, and Type 2 charters will be included
- Received public comments from seven persons, who expressed opinions such as these:
- Choice is limited because so many schools are still failing
- Some siblings are still being assigned to separate elementary schools
- Charter schools report having problems predicting their enrollments under the system
- Many parents want to attend schools in their neighborhoods and often cannot
- Students need more stability than current system gives them
- Sufficient provisions are not made for children with special needs
- RSD basic information on OneApp can be found here
- Landry HS and Walker HS unification/merger for 2013-2014
- Received and discussed report from RSD and ACSA Administrations, received public comment, and decided to obtain more information on options prior to June BESE meeting for possible decision to suspend the merger of the two high schools
- RSD Superintendent Patrick Dobard reported that the schools have in effect already merged
- Additional 348 students have selected the merged school as well as those already at Landry or Walker in OneApp
- The schools are being staffed up together now
- Joint summer school and enrichment programs are being held at Landry now
- Master Plan amendment approved by OPSB and BESE in 2011 merged the schools
- Demographics did not support need for both schools
- Faculty have been planning for merger in curriculum and extra-curricular activities, including athletics
- NOPD reported to RSD that none of the street violence in the city has been linked to the merger
- Stopping merger now would present many logistical problems for the opening of next school year
- ACSA CEO Adrian Morgan reported on the status of the merger
- ACSA (Algiers Charter School Association) has been the operator for Walker and will be for the merged school
- Proposes that the new school be called the Dr. Lord Beaconsfield Landry - Oliver Perry Walker College and Career Preparatory High School
- Preparations for the merger have been on-going
- Students have taken joint field trips
- Joint team practices for next year have been rotated between campuses
- Staff plans are being finalized
- Campus will include the merged school, SUNO's West Bank Campus, RSD's health resource center and LSU community clinic
- Public comments were received from 30 persons opposed to the merger as detrimental to Landry HS
- Want to preserve legacy of Landry since 1938
- Concerned about violence and gang turf warfare due to merger
- Did not believe RSD Administration was credible
- Concerned about lost jobs of some former Landry staff
- Believe Landry was not given a chance to succeed or improve
- Public comments were received from two persons supporting Walker HS
- Resented implications that Walker students would bring violence to the merged school
- Reported successful interactions between Walker and Landry students already
- Want decision to merge or not to merge to be made and bring closure to the discussions and allow preparation for the opening of next school year
- Two different issues on the table: Landry's legacy and schools' merger
- Landry has had its own distinct legacy that should be preserved in some way
- Problem of merger is very complex - timing now might not be right
- If merger is stopped, such an action should allow summer programs to go on undisturbed
- Benjamin E. Mays Preparatory School update
- Received and discussed report from RSD Administration
- Mays was closed by BESE because it was a very low performing school
- Mays students were given highest priority in OneApp
- 260 out of the 350 Mays families used OneApp, and 90% of those got into one of their top three choices
- Mays modular site will be used as swing space, first for McDonogh 42 during its renovation
- Average school receiving Mays students is 33 points higher in performance than the Mays School
- Received public comment from nine persons
- Loss of Mays means no elementary school in Desire area
- Other schools are not within walking distance
- Mays had been promised the newly renovated Frantz School, which is now going to another charter not originally in the area
- Mays was not given the opportunity to improve after it received students from another closed failing school
- OPSB should be allowed to take over Mays and open new school in the Desire area
- BESE members invited OPSB to submit at June BESE meeting report on options for it to take back Mays ES
|
|
This service is made possible by a Community IMPACT 2012 Grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation and funding from the Robert Reily Family Trust and the Smith/Cooper Foundation
|
|
