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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
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The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held its quarterly meeting of the Committee of the Whole on Recovery School District Matters on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at the Lake Area New Tech Early College High School Cafeteria, 6026 Paris Avenue, New Orleans 70122.
The agendas and back-up documentation for the meetings can be accessed by clicking on the meeting titles below. RSDigest has summarized the agenda items below, with links to other back-up materials.
The meeting was very lengthy, with dozens of citizens commenting on the various issues before the Committee. Many of the comments on particular topics were made during the time allocated for comments on other matters. Therefore, RSDigest has summarized public comments under the topic being addressed by the comments, not necessarily the place in the agenda the comments were actually made.
***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*** |
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REPORT FROM JULY 30 BESE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE IN NOLA
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RSD Superintendent's Presentation
The Committee received and discussed a matter presented by the RSD Superintendent with no action taken
- OneApp Student Enrollment System
- Staff discussed the recent problems with the Summer Enrollment Process
- Reported that 80% of applicants were assigned to one of top three schools
- RSD apologized for the problems
- Staff had not anticipated so many parents to show up for enrollment
- First location was too small to handle the crowd and was understaffed
- Staff did not efficiently handle the crisis as it happened
- Only had two rounds of applications this year before Summer Enrollment
- Prior year had three so more people were accommodated in advance
- With three rounds, final round was closer to enrollment
- Staff pledged several improvements next year from lessons learned this year
- Better preparation
- More rounds with narrower gaps between rounds
- Larger area, perhaps multiple sites
- Different days for different groups, such as elementary on a different day that high school
- Board Members requested that staff prepare a full report on OneApp for next BESE Committee Meetings
- Several members of the public made various comments about OneApp and enrollment policies, summarized below:
- OneApp is perceived by some as a "random, lottery model" not a "choice model"
- Catchment areas for "neighborhood" preferences are too large, such as Gentilly and N.O. East in same catchment area
- Many parents want choice to attend any school city-wide but also want a default neighborhood school
- Open enrollment with ineffective neighborhood preference prevents schools from being the centers of rebuilding communities
- OneApp is ignoring sibling preferences in many cases
- Bus routes are too long under open enrollment
- OneApp pushes some parents and children out of the school system
RSD Finance Issues
Received and discussed recommendations from the RSD Administration, received public comment, and took action as indicated
- Approved three amendments to existing contracts - total = $70,014
- Livingston HS - new school - redesign of access control system - $1,936
- B. T. Washington HS - new school - environmental services - $36,392
- Bauduit ES - refurbishment - misc. assessments of existing conditions - $31,686
- One member of the public cautioned BESE to monitor results of environmental remediation at B. T. Washington HS
- Received the report and heard public comments
- RSD-OPSB Phase 1 Monthly Summary for May 2014
- RSD-OPSB Phase 2 Monthly Summary for May 2014
- Superintendents' Report for May 2014
- BESE/RSD Open Contracts as of June 6, 2014
- OPSB Open Contracts as of June 6, 2014
- Bid Tabulations for May 2014
- Several members of the public made various comments about the report and the projects, summarized below
- Concern expressed over level of DBE participation
- Concern over level of local workers employed on projects
- Loss of so many schools named after African American role models selected by the community
- Concerns over specific schools, such as John McDonogh HS, Carver HS, etc.
- Approved misc. changes for the new Fannie C. Williams ES - $142,775 with two BESE members voting "no"
- Resulted from third party review of claim for equitable adjustment filed by contractor
- Some questioned if architect, engineer or contractor was really at fault, not RSD, and thus should pay cost
- Status report on Master Plan Projects
- Received the new report from the RSD Administration
- The 2011 Amendments to the School Facilities Master Plan can be read here
- Status report included the following:
- Progress toward completing the Plan
- 80% of planned seats are either completed or underway
- Challenges in completing the Plan
- Costs projected to exceed available funds
- Construction costs rising (+ $280 million) with changing market conditions
- Tax credits generating much less revenue (about half) than projected in 2011
- Demographics changing
- Need 4600 more elementary seats than previously projected
- Need 4000 fewer high school seats than previously projected
- Process for making decisions necessary to complete the Plan
- Changes being made to the Plan
- Project changes - to save $118 million
- Abrams ES - new school - increase size
- Douglass HS - reduce scale of renovations
- Fischer ES - delete new school and do limited renovation
- Gaudet ES - delete new school and do limited renovation
- Live Oak ES - reduce scale of renovations
- Morial ES - new school - increase size
- McDonogh 32 - delete new school and do limited renovation
- Walker HS - delete refurbishment and land-bank
- Re-evaluate current projects with community participation
- B. T. Washington HS - new school with auditorium renovation
- Carrolton Corridor - elementary schools
- Treme'/Esplanade Ridge - reevaluate need for both Clark HS and McDonogh HS
- Several members of the public made various comments about the report and the projects, summarized below
- COEs for Choice Foundation and KIPP-New Orleans appeared jointly
- Complained that RSD had assigned the new Dunbar ES to both of the operators at separate times and both had been preparing for the move
- Several community members appeared in support of Choice Foundation operating Dunbar
- B. T. Washington HS alumni representative said that the group was satisfied with the environmental remediation going on at the campus
- Further said that RSD was unfortunately pitting the Washington and Cohen communities against each other on the project
- Many supporters of John McDonogh HS were in favor of transferring the school to OPSB for a new program to be developed with the community and were fearful RSD wants to assign Clark HS's operator to McDonogh HS
- Oversight Committee has not met in over one year
- McDonogh HS
- Received Resolution from OPSB requesting return of school and campus from RSD to OPSB
- Deferred a motion to approve the transfer until next month
- RSD Superintendent reported that attorneys believe only RSD Administration and not BESE can make the transfer
- OPSB President Nolan Marshall and Member Ira Thomas appeared in support of the transfer
- Expressed concern that RSD had failed to turn the school around under different models and had allowed last charter operator to embarrass the school nationally
- Many community members spoke in favor of the proposed return of the school to OPSB
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This service is made possible by support from Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools and funding from the Robert Reily Family Trust and the Smith/Cooper Foundation
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