RSD and OPSB host groundbreaking ceremony for new elementary school

Local, state and federal officials turn dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Little Woods Elementary School in New Orleans East on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Public meetings on proposed building assignments conclude tonight

The Recovery School District (RSD) seeks community feedback tonight on proposed school building assignments in Planning Districts 2,3,4 and 5, which include Uptown, Mid-City, Central City and Lakeview. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Langston Hughes Academy, 3519 Trafalgar St.

As outlined in Commitment 9 of What Will It Take?, the RSD’s community engagement process is designed to gather input on its recommended building assignments for existing school programs, especially those currently located in temporary spaces. The district will announce final decisions in December.

Comments on the proposed building assignments also may be sent to rsd@rsdla.net.      

 

RSD to Better Engage Parents, Students

Interpretation Services Now Available for Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking parents

 

New Orleans, La. – The Recovery School District (RSD) has followed through on plans outlined in Commitment 8 of What Will It Take? by announcing a streamlined communications system for parents, the availability of Spanish and Vietnamese interpretation/translation services, and schedules for ongoing parent and student discussions. These services will make it easier for parents and students to get information, get issues resolved, and give the district feedback.

 

“We believe putting children first involves working alongside community,” said RSD Superintendent John White. “Our decisions will be better for having heard and considered the viewpoints of our parents, students, educators, and community members.”

 

The RSD has launched a new phone system that will allow the district to respond to parents and resolve their issues faster. By calling either the local (504-373-6200) or toll-free telephone number (1-877-343-4773), parents will have direct access to the RSD Parent-Family Resource Centers, where trained staff will provide assistance or direct parents to the appropriate division. In addition, telephone interpretation for Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking parents is now available.

 

To increase communication with parents and seek their input, the district has scheduled a series of meetings at various locations around the city over the next few months. The first meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Household of Faith Church in New Orleans East focused on the new RSD Public School Enrollment System, scheduled to launch in spring 2012.  

 

Another round of parent meetings, in partnership with the RSD Parent Task Force, will begin in January with topics to be announced. The schedule is as follows:

 

• Thursday, Jan. 5 – Sarah T. Reed High School, 5316 Michoud Blvd.
• Thursday, Feb. 2 – Edgar P. Harney Elementary, 2503 Willow St.
• Thursday, March 8 – Murray Henderson Elementary, 2701 Lawrence St. Thursday, April 5 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School, 1617 Caffin Ave.
• Thursday, May 3 – Craig Elementary, 1423 St. Philip St.
• Thursday, June 7 – Harmony Oaks Community Center, 3320 Clara St.

To continue student engagement, the RSD will seek input from students this fall regarding the new enrollment system, with help from Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA) and the group Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools (Rethink). The two youth organizations will convene a focus group of 14 to 20 students to provide constructive feedback on the new system.

 

In the spring, the RSD Student Task force will begin a multi-step process in partnership with VAYLA and Rethink to produce a Student’s Guide to Schools, which would inform students about school choice.

 

This parent-student engagement plan follows the RSD’s September release of What Will it Take? In the report, the RSD made 12 commitments to ensure that every student in New Orleans is on track to graduate from college or to attain a professional career.

 

Read What Will It Take? on the RSD Web site at www.rsdla.net.

RSD Announces Community Process for School Building Assignments

First public meeting at 6:30 p.m. today at Lake Area High School to gather community feedback

New Orleans, La. – As outlined in Commitment 9 of What Will It Take?, the Recovery School District (RSD) today announced the process being used to make building assignments for schools in temporary space, as well as its specific recommended assignments. Next week, the district will host a series of community meetings to gather feedback on those recommendations. Final assignments will be announced in December.

 

The RSD began the process in December 2010 with the release of proposed school building assignments. The district also hosted a series of public meetings across the city in January 2011, with plans to make final assignments by Jan. 31. However, in response to community feedback, the district decided to postpone making final assignments until after the School Facilities Master Plan was revised. More community meetings were held this summer to get feedback on the proposed Master Plan revisions, which were approved by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) last month.

 

The final school building assignments, now due in December, will reflect prior proposed assignments with modifications based on the revised Master Plan, school program changes and additional community input.  

 

“Now that the revised Master Plan ensures that every New Orleans student will attend school in a new, renovated or refurbished building, we must make sure that all existing schools, especially those in temporary buildings, have a long-term home,” said RSD Superintendent John White. “We look forward to engaging the community again in this process and will announce final long-term building assignments by Dec. 31.”  

 

In addition to community input, the RSD will prioritize the following factors when making final building assignments for existing schools:

 

1. Previous school assignments made by the RSD to schools and communities
2. Alignment between the capacity needs of the school program and the prospective building (e.g., if a high school operator is able to offer robust career-technical [CTE] offerings in a setting designed to support CTE programs)
3. Geographic distribution of current students based on zip code analysis
4. An operator’s track record in improving student academic performance and its continued ability to operate successfully in a prospective facility.

 

Long-term building assignments will be contingent on the school program continuing to demonstrate excellence in meeting accountability and governance standards. Recommended building assignments for existing schools can be found under the Resources tab on the RSD Web Site: www.rsdla.net.  

 

To gather community feedback, the RSD has scheduled the following public meetings:

 

• Monday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., Lake Area High School, 6026 Paris Ave. – Planning Districts 1,6,7,8 (Marigny, Bywater, Gentilly, 9^th Ward and French Quarter.)

 

• Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m., Schaumburg Elementary School , 9501 Grant St. – Planning District 9,10,11 (New Orleans East)

 

• Wednesday, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m., Langston Hughes Academy, 3519 Trafalgar St. – Planning Districts 2,3,4,5 (Uptown, Mid-City, Central City and Lakeview)

 

For charter operators newly approved by BESE in December, the RSD will provide a building assignment in February, based on the following factors:

 

1. Alignment between the school program and prospective facility capacity
2. Operator’s track record of academic performance and experience, and capacity to operate successfully in a prospective facility
3. Community input on school vision and citywide needs for academic programming

 

The building assignment process continues the RSD’s efforts to follow through on its 12 commitments to New Orleans listed in What Will It Take?  Read the plan on the RSD Web site.