July 24th 2024.
In a recent development, NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans was granted the chance to directly manage a school for the first time in many years. This school, located on the grounds of Lafayette Academy, a charter school that has been struggling to meet expectations, will now bear the name of the beloved Leah Chase. The renowned chef, who passed away in 2019, will be honored by this school that will initially cater to grades K-5, with future plans to expand to include pre-K through eighth grade.
As reported by NOLA.com, the Leah Chase School is set to open in just two weeks, but there are still about 13 positions that need to be filled. Of those, four have already been offered to candidates. These positions include a first-grade teacher, two second-grade teachers, an art teacher, a Spanish teacher, and a physical education teacher. In addition, the school is also in search of four classroom aides, an operations manager, and a maintenance worker.
According to Olin Parker, a member of the Orleans Parish School Board, the number of vacancies at the school is based on an expected enrollment of 300 students. However, as of now, the school only has around 200 students, which means that some of these positions may not need to be filled. Parker reassures that this is not a cause for concern and in fact, having fewer staff members can be beneficial for the school's budget.
In a Fox 8 interview in February, Douglas Harris, a professor at Tulane University and director of the Education Research Alliance in New Orleans, shed light on the changes that have taken place in the city's public school system post-Hurricane Katrina. He explained that there has been a push for the district to have a more direct role in the management of schools, as opposed to relying on charter organizations. This shift has brought about challenges for the district, especially in terms of limited funding and resources.
Similarly, Dr. Avis Williams, the Superintendent of NOLA-PS, acknowledges that successfully running the Leah Chase School will require the support and involvement of the entire community. She expresses her gratitude for those who have advocated for direct-run schools and she looks to them for their continued support.
The success of the Leah Chase School carries great significance for the NOLA-PS system as a whole. As board member Leila Jacobs Eames stated in a meeting in January, the community has been calling for more direct-run schools, and this new school will serve as a test of whether this direction is the right one to follow. Pastor Gregory Manning, representing the community at the meeting, believes that the charter school system has failed and that it's time to bring back direct-run schools to restore the city's education system.
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