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This report is created by Ken Ducote and Rose Drill-Peterson on behalf of the Eastbank Collaborative of Charter Schools
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*The previous report omitted an action item pertaining to a resolution requesting an expedited opinion from the Louisiana Attorney General. We apologize for this oversight. The additional content has been added in bold below.*
The Orleans Parish School Board held its monthly Board Business Meeting on Tuesday, October 14, 2014, in the Mack Spears Auditorium of the McDonogh 35 High School.
The posted agenda and back-up documentation can be read here. Videos of the meeting are periodically shown on Cox Cable Orleans Channel 8, the Educational Access Channel, as well as archived on the OPSB's website, www.opsb.us.
OPSBrief has summarized the meeting below.
***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 Orleans Parish School Board***
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REPORT FROM OCT 14 OPSB BUSINESS MEETING
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Superintendent's Agenda
Discussed information received from the Superintendent with no action taken
- Request for Community Education on proposed December 6th millage
- The administration is in receipt of questions on the upcoming millage election and will post responses as well as other information on opsb.us and provide hard copies of materials at the OPSB offices at 3520 General DeGaulle
- It was requested administration consider a series of widely publicized community meetings be held and videotaped across the city, to subsequently appear on television and posted online
Committee Reports
Received reports from Committee Chairpersons
- Accountability Committee
- Property Committee
- Legal and Legislative Committee
- Policy Committee
- Budget and Finance Committee
Action Items
Reviewed and discussed Superintendent's recommendations and took action as indicated
- Resolution 28-14 Field of Dreams
- Resolution passed 6-0
- Supports the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, Inc. for the construction of a 5000-seat football stadium, track field, and other athletic facilities on property owned by the Orleans Parish School Board located at 4300 Almonaster Blvd
- Resolution 29-14 Special Revenue Budget Amendment #1 Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant
- Resolution passed 6-0
- Authorizes grant in the amount of $1,500,000 for two years to improve literacy for young children at Audubon Charter, Einstein Charter, McMain Secondary School, Plessy Community School, McDonogh 35 Academy, and New Orleans Science and Math High School
- Resolution 30-14 Special Revenue Budget Amendment #2, School Climate Transformation Grant
- Resolution passed 7-0
- Approves grant in the amount of $2,625,000 for five years to improve the student behavior and learning conditions at Alice Harte, Edna Karr, Einstein Charter, Encore Academy, and McDonogh 35
- Authorization to the General Counsel of the Orleans Parish School Board to seek an expedited opinion from the Louisiana Attorney General
- Resolution passed 7-0
- Opinion would clarify whether a school board can make vacant property available to chartering groups pursuant to La. R.S. 17:3982(B)(1)
- There was discussion as to the necessity of the opinion as the prospective buyer intends to use the property for educational purposes
- Counsel advised it best to proceed with the opinion as the sale would otherwise set a precedent for sale and/or use of vacant land
- Board members expressed a desire to move forward with the opinion while simultaneously moving forward with the transaction
- The CEO of New Orleans College Preparatory Academies spoke in support of moving forward with the transaction in a timely fashion
- Resolution 31-14 Return of Facilities Where Schools Have Been Closed
- Resolution passed 6-0
- Requests the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Recovery School District to cease, discontinue, and refrain from creating new public schools in the Parish of Orleans
- Four audience members spoke in support of the resolution
- Several of the commentors refrerenced a perceived community sentiment that it was time for both McDonogh HS and Sarah T. Reed to become OPSB direct-run schools
- Particular comments included:
- OPSB should consider a resolution requesting the return of RSD schools after 10 years if the school is still failing
- OPSB should play a greater role in the community meetings currently taking place around future use of the Sarah T. Reed HS facility
- The resolution is good step to restoring some of New Orleans' historically black high schools
- Community members around Sarah T. Reed feel that a high school could be successful under the auspices of either the RSD or OPSB, they just want to see progress towards getting the facility in use as a high school
- Board members and administration discussed at length the involvement of administration and members at the community meetings being held on future use of Sarah T. Reed HS
- Some members expressed great frustration towards the RSD for its RFP for charter operators to apply for use of the facility
- Questions arose as to the legality of RSD issuing such an RFP
- Additionally, some members perceived the issuance of the RFP by the RSD as a breach of good faith and potentially as a violation of MOU agreed upon by the OPSB and RSD
Personal Privilege
Member Cade requested and recieved personal privelage to receive a report form the John McDonogh Ad Hoc Committee
- Report from the John McDonogh Ad Hoc Committee
- OPSB received this report
- Ad Hoc Committee representatives intend to deliver the report to BESE today
- Report requests the immediate return of the John McDonogh facility to OPSB
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This service is made possible by support from the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools and funding from the
Robert Reily Family Trust and the Smith/Cooper Foundation
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