• New Orleans (OPSB & RSD) is #1 in growth, gaining 5 points in the percentage of students meeting the state proficiency goal of Basic or above.

• This growth was fueled by RSD-New Orleans, with its 6 point gain.
• OPSB grew 1 point, equal to the state average.

• Students improved across all grades and subjects.

• New Orleans continues to close the gap with the state average.

We’re #1 in the State in Growth

Student performance in New Orleans schools (OPSB & RSD) continues to improve faster than any other district in the state. These gains are driven by the Recovery School District, which improved 6 percentage points this year and an astounding 34 points since 2007 – the best in the state.

Grades 3-8
2013 Growth in Percent Scoring Basic or Above

While OPSB has only grown at the state average the past three years (2010-2013), since 2007 it has improved 18 points while the state grew 9 points.

Growth in Percent Scoring Basic or Above*

* 2000-2011 includes grades 3-11 LEAP, iLeap, and GEE. 2012-2013 includes only grades 3-8 LEAP and iLeap because the GEE has been phased out and replaced by End of Course Tests and the ACT. 

More Students Are Meeting Louisiana’s
Proficiency Goal of Basic or Above

Louisiana’s goal is for all students to perform Basic or above in all subjects. Basic is considered “grade level” performance and roughly equates to an ACT score of 19 or higher.

This year, student performance improved across all subjects and all grades.

Grades 3-8
Percent Scoring Basic or Above by Subject

Grades 3-8
Percent Scoring Basic or Above by Subject

We’re Closing the Gap with the State Average

Student performance in New Orleans is improving at a much faster rate than in the rest of the state.

• In 2000, New Orleans trailed the state average by 26 percentage points.
• In 2005, New Orleans trailed the state average by 23 percentage points.
• In 2007, New Orleans trailed the state average by 23 percentage points
• Today, the gap has been reduced to just 6 points.

2000 to 2013
Percent Scoring Basic or Above*

* 2000-2011 includes grades 3-11 LEAP, iLeap, and GEE. 2012-2013 includes only grades 3-8 LEAP and iLeap because the GEE has been phased out and replaced by End of Course Tests and the ACT. 

Moving up in the Ranks

As we continue to improve, New Orleans is passing other school districts and moving up in the ranks. Treating New Orleans (OPSB & RSD) as one school district, New Orleans has jumped 20 spots since 2007, going from 65th to 45th in six years.

District Rank
All New Orleans Schools Combined

NOTES

High Schools

The high school data has not yet been released by the Department of Education. This year, high school students take End of Course tests and the ACT for state testing purposes. The Graduate Exit Exam is no longer given.

Test Security (for the skeptics out there)

The Louisiana Department of Education and the Recovery School District have implemented test security protocols that minimize the opportunity for widespread cheating. A recent report from the Legislative Auditor said the LDOE had “sufficient processes to ensure testing data was reliable.” The state conducts erasure analysis (wrong to right) and use of word analysis (multiple students using the same phrases) every year. Additionally, the RSD no longer delivers tests to school sites 7 days in advance. Schools must go to the RSD to pick up the tests a couple of days before a particular test is administered. Finally, the Department of Education has independent test monitors entering schools at unannounced times during testing.

Conclusion

We still have work to do – Roughly one in three students are not yet performing on grade level. But let’s take a moment to celebrate and appreciate these results. This rate of growth for 6 consecutive years is truly an accomplishment. Educate Now! congratulates the teachers, administrators, and students for a great year.

Over the past three years, the gains the city is making relative to the state have been powered by the RSD schools. Since 2010, OPSB has only improved 4 percentage points, the same as the state average, while RSD has grown 14 points. To maintain momentum, OPSB must join RSD in improving faster than the state average. Educate Now! hopes that next year we will be able to applaud both OPSB and RSD for growing faster than the state.

View the Louisiana Department of Education’s release on the 2013 data.
View the RSD-New Orleans release on the 2013 data.

View a comparison of District performance from 2012-2013.
View a comparison of District performance by growth from 2007-2013.

Even OPSB’s open-admission charter schools are significantly under-serving special education students.

OPSB receives a lump sum based on the total number of students with disabilities in the city. It then distributes the money among its schools as if each individual school had the average 9.9% special education enrollment. That means some OPSB schools are getting much more than their fair share of special education dollars, while other schools aren’t getting enough.

Read more in this article in the Times-Picayune:

Special education enrollment numbers show Orleans Parish School Board charters lagging

View the list of schools and special education enrollment:

• Sorted by % of special education enrollment
• Sorted alphabetically by school

• Choice Updates
• Session Status
• National Headlines
• Local News

Choice Updates

Shakeout from school voucher ruling by Louisiana Supreme Court begins
Times-Picayune - May 15, 2013
The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that using the MFP to fund vouchers and Course Choice is unconstitutional, which means the state has to find another way to pay for the programs. Andrew Vanacore suggests that with 8,000 vouchers students already signed up for this coming school year, legislators will probably approve voucher funding for 2013-14. After that, the programs’ future is uncertain. As for Course Choice, Superintendent John White says his department plans to go ahead with the program next year and fund the $2.1 million through his own department budget.

Some La. students were signed up for Course Choice without their knowledge
Town Talk - May 13, 2013
The Course Choice provider FastPath is quickly signing up students for its online reading and math programs, but some parents are saying their children were enrolled without their knowledge or permission. One legislator is considering requiring students to be enrolled in Course Choice only at the school site.

More charter schools coming to New Orleans
Times-Picayune - May 16, 2013
The state has received applications for more than 100 new charter schools in Louisiana, including nine schools in New Orleans. In addition to applications from several new national operators, FirstLine wants to expand its five-school portfolio to six, and the groups that run Sci Academy, Martin Luther King, and KIPP are looking to open schools in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Meanwhile, the OPSB charter application process is underway with final applications due in June.

New nonprofit helps to recruit charter companies to BR
The Advocate - May 20, 2013
New Schools for Baton Rouge has been working hard to recruit successful charter operators to their city. Of the 22 organizations that applied to start a new charter in Baton Rouge, seven were recruited by New Schools. Five are national organizations new to Louisiana, and two already have schools in New Orleans.

Auditor faults charter school oversight
The Advocate - May 20, 2013
A recent legislative audit of the Louisiana Department of Education found that the DOE is correctly monitoring financial data and test results for charter schools, but it is lacking in other areas of oversight. Among the findings, the DOE did not verify self-reported data on attendance, dropouts, and graduation rates, and it did not determine if eight charter schools placed on probation in 2010 met required standards in 2011 to continue operating.

Session Status

Education bills in the 2013 Louisiana legislative session: Where are they now?
Times-Picayune - May 17, 2013
This education roundup gives a summary of the bills in this session and where they stand, including bills that would: give the Legislature approval power over the school letter grading process; prohibit schools from administering ACT test to students with disabilities; and delay value-added teacher assessments for at least one year.

National Headlines

Many teachers say they need training in Common Core standards, poll says
Washington Post - May 3, 2013
According to a recent poll, most public school teachers feel unprepared to teach math and reading to standards of the new, more rigorous Common Core. While 75% of teachers say they support Common Core, less than one-third say they have received the training and resources they need to make the transition.

The moderate extremism of relinquishment
Education Gadfly - May 15, 2013
NSNO’s Neerav Kingsland discusses the theory of Relinquishment. He explains what it is – educators operating schools (not government), families choosing among these schools, and government holding schools accountable for performance and equity – and also what it isn’t – it doesn’t call for an end to unions, doesn’t aim to abolish government’s involvement in public schooling, and doesn’t predict miraculous results.

Rifts Deepen Over Direction of Ed. Policy in U.S.
Education Week - May 7, 2013
Not since the battles over school desegregation has the debate about public education been so intense and polarized. Issues such as charter school expansion, school vouchers, value-added teacher assessments, Common Core, and standardized testing are generating strong emotions and creating interesting partnerships across the political aisle.

Ed. Funders Giving More to Same Few, Studies Show
Education Week - May 7, 2013
Researchers looked at giving patters for the 15 foundations that donate the most to K-12 education and found that donations have increased each year, but funds are being channeled to fewer groups. In 2010, 65% of annual giving went to groups also supported by other top foundations, compared to 25% in 2000. Also, top foundations are giving less to traditional public schools and more to charter schools, and they are becoming much more active in shaping how their grantees develop.

With an Old Factory, Philadelphia Is Hoping to Draw New Teachers
New York Times - May 5, 2013
To help attract and retain public school teachers, Philadelphia is converting an old dye factory into apartments for teachers and offices for nonprofit educational organizations, such as Teach For America. The building will have conference rooms, a coffee shop, a health club and a copy center to help teachers with their lesson plans. Editor’s note: Great idea for New Orleans!

Local News

Morris Jeff charter school board embraces new teachers union
The Lens - May 17, 2013
The Morris Jeff Association of Educators is the first charter teachers group to formally organize. Comprised solely of Morris Jeff teachers, the union will receive support from the Louisiana Association of Educators but will not be considered the New Orleans chapter of LAE. The Morris Jeff charter board voted unanimously to recognize the union.

Mother’s Day shooting at New Orleans parade draws fearful reaction from students
Times-Picayune - May 13, 2013
The students at Success Prep are struggling to deal with the aftermath of the Mother’s Day shooting. At a recent assembly the students told stories of what they saw that day and shared their fears that it might happen again. The leader of the middle school ended the assembly saying, “There’s only one thing to do: Go back and learn. Because educated people change the world.”

New Orleans school building planning committee meets for first time in 19 months
Times-Picayune - May 9, 2013
The advisory group charged with keeping tabs on the $1.8 billion School Facilities Master Plan met for the first time since September 2011. The meeting was simply an orientation to get the process started again, but it was a first step in getting a handle on some important financial issues.

New Orleans Kids Partnership will launch effort to improve health and education
Times-Picayune - May 9, 2013
New Orleans Kids Partnership is launching a new network to provide free and low-cost services in Gentilly. Based at Arthur Ashe Charter School, NOKP will operate on Saturdays and holidays and provide a wide range of academic, health and wellness, and career preparation services to children and families.

Algiers leaders try to bridge divide between Walker and Landry students prior to merger
The Lens - May 6, 2013
Leaders at O. Perry Walker and L.B. Landry are working with students to ensure a smooth transition when the schools open as the combined Landry-Walker High School next fall. They have arranged for meetings between the classes of each school, and the two football teams have already begun practicing together. The Algiers Charter School Association recently received a $1 million grant from the NOLA Charter Excellence Fund to support the unification of the two schools.

Bricolage Academy awarded $1M New Schools for New Orleans grant
Uptown Messenger - May 11, 2013
Bricolage Academy, the new OPSB charter that will open this fall on the campus of Touro Synagogue, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the NOLA Charter Excellence Fund, a $30 million fund designed to create 15,000 high-quality public-school seats in the city.

RSD says ReNEW owes more than $250,000 for school meals due to paperwork problems
The Lens - May 16, 2013
The RSD says ReNEW Schools owes them hundreds of thousands of dollars for student meals. ReNEW says the meals should have been paid for through the federal government’s free and reduced lunch program, but according to the RSD, ReNEW didn’t submit the proper paperwork in time for the RSD to request the federal reimbursement.

• Boomtown New Orleans
• BGR Releases Report on OPSB Finances
• Rethinking the High School to College Transition
• Common Core Updates
• National Education Stories
• Louisiana Headlines
• Local News

Boomtown New Orleans

The Top 12 American Boomtowns
Bloomberg - April 24, 2013
According to Bloomberg Rankings, New Orleans is one of America’s fastest growing cities. The New Orleans metropolitan area – New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner – was ranked #2 for population increase combined with growth in real GDP. New Orleans came in after Austin in the rankings but beat out Raleigh and Houston for the #2 spot.

BGR Releases Report on OPSB Finances

In The Accidental Steward, the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) examines the Orleans Parish School Board’s performance as resource manager for all public schools in New Orleans. The OPSB is the sole taxing and bonding authority for all public schools (OPSB, RSD, charter and direct-run), and it alone determines how certain revenue streams and resources are spent. The BGR found the following:

• In 2011, OPSB overspent on its own charter and direct-run schools, using $2.1 million in common resources that should have been available for the needs of the system as a whole.
• OPSB doesn’t have a system in place to ensure fair allocation of common resources. It doesn’t track or report expenditures by types of schools, and it doesn’t have a policy in place to make sure common resources benefit all schools and not just its own charter and direct-run schools.
• OPSB has strengthened its financial position since Katrina and now receives clean audits and solid bond ratings, but challenges remain, including inadequate funding for facility maintenance.

For more on the BGR report, read these articles in the Times-Picayune and the Advocate.

Rethinking the High School to College Transition

Dual enrollment gives struggling students a college try
Kitsap Sun - April 19, 2013
A new Columbia University report shows that California students who took courses in community college while still in high school were more likely than their classmates to graduate and attend a four-year college, even among minority students who are historically underrepresented in higher education.

Is College Worth It?
Education Gadfly - May 2, 2013
In his new book, Is College Worth It, former U.S. education secretary Bill Bennett argues that for many students, the costs of a college degree outweigh the benefits. He says many people emerge from college with more in debts than in rewards, that there are viable and rewarding alternatives to the classic four-year bachelor’s degree, and that technology is bringing big changes to post-secondary education.

Delgado to build new campus in eastern N.O.
The Advocate - April 29, 2013
Delgado Community College is expanding to New Orleans East with a new campus on the site of the old Sidney Collier Technical College. Delgado’s Collier campus will have a structure and programs that connect to George Washington Carver High School, allowing Carver students to participate in dual enrollment programs.

Common Core Updates

States’ Online Testing Problems Raise Common-Core Concerns
Education Week - May 3, 2013
States are ramping up their technological infrastructure to prepare for the required online Common Core assessments in 2014-15, but widespread technical failures and interruptions of recent regular online testing are raising concerns about schools’ readiness.

Teachers’ Union President: Halt All High Stakes Linked to Common Core
Education Week - April 30, 2013
The American Federation of Teachers is calling for a moratorium on all stakes associated with the Common Core State Standards, saying that teachers have not had enough time or support to understand them and shift their instruction accordingly. AFT President Randi Weingarten says she approves of the Common Core but that more training is needed before students, teachers, and schools are judged on the new assessments.

Online provider offers courses in education, teacher training
Los Angeles Times - April 30, 2013
The online provider Coursera is offering free professional training and development courses to K-12 teachers in subjects such as content development, the Common Core curriculum, and blended learning strategies. Coursera partnered with schools of education, educational institutions, and museums to develop the new courses that will be available to people across the globe. View a list of available classes.

National Education Stories

A Nation at Risk: Where Are We Now?
Education Week - April 23, 2013
It’s been 30 years since the release of A Nation at Risk, which called for an end to the “rising tide of mediocrity” in our schools and is considered a catalyst for the academic-standards movement. An Education Week analysis of academic trends in the decades since the report shows high school students are completing more courses, and more rigorous courses, than their 1980s counterparts; NAEP scores in English and math have gone up; and high school graduation rates have remained pretty much the same.

Ed. Companies Exert Public-Policy Influence
Education Week - April 22, 2013
Education providers, including virtual schools, software companies, and for-profit charter school operators, have spent millions on lobbying and campaign contributions, raising concerns that companies are growing increasingly aggressive in their efforts to make money from the K-12 system.

Advice to TFA from a former insider
Education Week - April 24, 2013
A former TFA corps member, who dropped out after nine months in a New Orleans school, says she still admires TFA but they need to do better job of helping their teachers succeed. She believes TFA recruiters should paint a more realistic picture of the struggles corps members will face, and she recommends that TFA staff provide corps members a safe space for dialogue and even dissent.

Louisiana Headlines

Nearly 8,000 students receive voucher seats for 2013-14
Times-Picayune - May 2, 2013
Nearly 8,000 students were matched with voucher seats in the first round of applications for the 2013-14 school year, an increase of over 3,000 students from 2012-13. The voucher program has grown in popularity, but there are still concerns about using MFP to pay for vouchers and whether or not the state supreme court will rule this funding mechanism unconstitutional.

DeSoto investigation reveals lack of oversight
Shreveport Times - April 30, 2013
The FBI is investigating “financial discrepancies” at the DeSoto Parish School Board regarding payments to Walter Lee, their former Superintendent and a current BESE member. Questions include how much Lee actually received in salaries and benefits while he was superintendent and whether Lee was double billing the DeSoto school board for expenses related to his elected position at BESE.

Local News

Ben Franklin Elementary, McMain top OneApp choices for 2013-14
Times-Picayune - April 26, 2013
Over 27,000 students participated in the OneApp application and enrollment process this year. Two-thirds of students chose to stay in their current school. The top two choices for the remaining third were OPSB schools – Benjamin Franklin for elementary and Eleanor McMain for high school. This is the first year OPSB’s direct-run schools participated in the OneApp.

Education Pioneers Launches in New Orleans to Recruit, Train 80 New Education Leaders by 2015
Sacramento Bee - April 25, 2013
Education Pioneers has expanded to New Orleans with the goal of recruiting and training 80 new education leaders for New Orleans by 2015. Education Pioneers is a national nonprofit focused on attracting talent for positions outside the classroom. They partner with local school districts, charter management organizations, and nonprofits to offer fellowships in key areas, including finance, operations, human resources, curriculum design, data analysis, and law.

Three of four Capital One-New Beginnings principals resign mid-year
The Lens - April 30, 2013
Principals at three of the four charter schools run by Capital One-New Beginnings resigned mid-year. All three principals said they resigned “for personal reasons,” but the New Beginnings CEO admits it does raise questions.

New Orleans students find shortcomings in language services
The Advocate - April 25, 2013
Members of the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of America (VAYLA) conducted a survey of more than 120 ESL students in six New Orleans public schools, as well as many families, and found that ESL students are getting lost in the system. There aren’t enough certified ESL instructors at schools; students are being pulled out of class to translate for administrators and families; and parents who don’t speak English are finding it difficult to advocate for their children.

Mays parents urge OPSB to take over school
The Advocate - April 28, 2013
Parents from Benjamin Mays Preparatory School asked the Orleans Parish School Board to take over the failing school and keep it from closing at the end of the year. OPSB members said they will talk to the RSD about transferring control of the school.

Petition seeks ouster of John Mac High charter
The Lens - April 23, 2013
More than 180 people have signed a petition requesting removal of the charter organization Future is Now Schools, its board, and its CEO Steve Barr, from John McDonogh High School. The petition says, “This charter operator has proven to be ineffective and damaging to the students that attend the school.”

Shout-outs

• Benjamin Franklin High School and Lusher Charter School were ranked among the best high schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Both schools were awarded gold medal status, with Franklin ranked #55 and Lusher ranked #353 out of more than 21,000 public high schools. Read more.

• International High School of New Orleans won Top School in French, Top School in Spanish, and Top School Overall for enrollment under 600 at Southeastern Louisiana University’s annual Foreign Language Festival. Read more.

• The Xavier Prep community succeeded in saving their school. It will reopen next year as the all-girls St. Katherine Drexel Preparatory High School. The building will be purchased by a group of alumni, and the school will be operated by a new governing board in association with the archdiocese. Read more.

• Silverback Society received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its mentorship program. The Silverback Society will use the funds to provide positive male role models for eighth-grade boys, particularly African-Americans, in New Orleans public schools. Read more.

Key Findings

School Choice

Voters overwhelmingly support school choice for families.

In Cowen’s poll, 72% support choice:

• 54% of voters support pure choice.
• 18% support reserving half of the spaces for neighborhood children.
• Only 21% want a return to neighborhood schools.

This support for choice has remained unchanged. A 2009 CABL poll showed:

• 77% of voters favored parents picking the school.
• Only 15% favored assigning students to a school.

Replacing Operators of Low-Performing Schools 

Voters strongly support replacing operators of failing schools:

• Two-thirds (65%) agree that bringing in a charter organization to take over a failing school “creates the best chance to improve student learning.”
• Two-thirds (66%) agree that only charter organizations that have demonstrated success should be approved to take over schools.
• And two-thirds (66%) believe that charter operators of D schools should also be replaced.

Return of Schools

Cowen asked voters their preference on when schools should be returned. CABL asked a very similar question in its 2009 poll. In both polls, the majority (55% Cowen; 52% CABL) feel return should be in the more distant future (3-5 years) or never. There has been a shift (11 points) in the number of voters who support the return of schools within two years.

Cowen’s poll shows significant differences between black and white voters:

• 41% of black voters want schools returned now (#1 answer for black voters); 51% of white voters do not want the schools returned (#1 answer for white voters). 

Changes to the Orleans Parish School Board

While voters don’t agree on the “if and when” for return of schools, there is much more consensus, extending across racial lines, that OPSB needs to change if schools are to come back.

• 65% of voters agree that OPSB needs to change the way it functions and/or is structured to manage all schools.

And, given 4 choices, the idea of a school board with some elected and appointed members was the clear first choice.

Educate Now! finds it interesting that while 32% of voters think schools should be returned in the next 2 years, only 16% prefer to return schools to OPSB as currently structured, if given other options.

The Good News

There is more consensus than division among voters:

1. Voters support school choice.
2. Voters support replacing low performing schools with charter operators who have demonstrated success.
3. Voters agree OPSB needs some structural and operational changes before managing all schools. A combination of an appointed and elected board resonated with voters. In any proposal like this one, the challenge will be working through the details: who appoints and through what process.

Hopefully, we can build upon this consensus to structure long-term governance.

View the Cowen Institute’s analysis of their 2013 poll results.
View the Times-Picayune‘s article on the poll results.

• New Orleans and Innovation
• Education Nation Comes to New Orleans
• Louisiana Headlines
• National Education Stories
• Local News

New Orleans and Innovation

The Big Comeback: Is New Orleans America’s Next Great Innovation Hub?
Atlantic Monthly - April 8, 2013
New Orleans had a choice after Katrina – curl into a wet grave; rebuild as it was; or reinvent itself. Today the city has become a hub of innovation and an incubator for new entrepreneurs. This choice reveals both the tantalizing allure, and the deep challenges, of reinventing a city.

Can a ‘Moneyball’ Approach Turn Around New Orleans Schools?
National Journal - April 13, 2013
A strong focus on student data and analytics is one way schools like Sci Academy are changing public education in New Orleans. The challenge going forward is to build on the city’s successes – improved test scores, a graduation rate on par with the national average – while addressing tough challenges, including services for children with disabilities and not enough high-quality schools.

TFA Alumni Aid New Teachers in New Orleans
Education Week - April 19, 2013
The influx of new, inexperienced teachers to New Orleans schools continues to spark debate between those who point to significant gains in student performance as a sign of success and those who see high teacher turnover and attrition rates as indicators of failure. Two TFA alums started a support group called the New Teachers’ Roundtable to help new teachers cope with their experiences and understand their role in this city’s history and schools.

Education Nation Comes to New Orleans

Education Nation event puts Louisiana schools in spotlight
The Advocate - April 16, 2013
NBC brought its Education Nation tour to New Orleans this month, sponsoring a week of events and programming focused on education challenges and opportunities in the New Orleans region. Events included an Education Summit hosted by Hoda Kotb as well as a Teacher Town Hall and a Student Town Hall.

Video from the Education Nation events is available on the NBC website.

• One-on-One with Governor Bobby Jindal
• Early Learning: Sowing Seeds for Success - with Dr. Geoff Nagle, Jenna Conway, Dr. Tony Recasner, and Pearlie Harris.
• K-12: Lessons from the New Orleans Experience - with Dr. Andre Perry, Sarah Carr, Aisha Jones, and Leslie Jacobs and followed by an interview with Louisiana State Superintendent John White.
• Job One: Preparing Louisiana to Compete in the 21st Century Economy
• New Orleans Teacher Town Hall
• New Orleans Student Town Hall

For more information and commentary on the events, read these articles in the Times-Picayune.

• Jindal defends school vouchers in NBC interview
• Students voice their opinion on NOLA schools at Education Nation town hall
• Teachers blast Louisiana evaluation system, say state doesn’t support them

Louisiana Headlines

Charter-affiliated teacher prep program to expand to New Orleans
Times-Picayune - April 16, 2013
The Relay Graduate School of Education will be offering a new alternative certification program to Louisiana teachers, including a one-year track for novice teachers starting in the summer of 2014, and a two-year master’s degree beginning this fall. Relay was started in 2008 by three national charter groups, KIPP, Uncommon Schools and Achievement First, and it already has informal partnerships with nearly every charter management organization in New Orleans as well as the Recovery School District.

Study shows that poor children in Louisiana benefit more from early education
Examiner - April 10, 2013
A recent study from the Cecil J. Picard Center shows the positive impact Louisiana’s LA4 preschool has had on poor children – those receiving free or reduced-priced lunch. Eighth-graders who had been enrolled in the LA4 preschool program as four-year-olds continued to score better than their peers across all subjects.

Louisiana school head pulling student info from nonprofit’s database
Alexandria Town Talk - April 20, 2013
Responding to concerns about family and student privacy, Louisiana Education Superintendent John White agreed to withdraw Louisiana student information from inBloom data storage. InBloom is a national nonprofit that is working to provide affordable technology to local school districts. White believes that in time he will be able to allay fears about storing Louisiana data with an outside company.

National Education Stories

Obama Budget Would Invest in Pre-K, High School Overhaul
Education Week - April 10, 2013
President Obama is seeking $75 billion over the next 10 years for a major expansion of preschool programs for low- and moderate-income children. The program would be paid for through a new, 94 cent tax on tobacco products. Obama’s initiative also would include a $750 million investment in preschool development grants to help states expand access and improve program quality.

Funding Students, Options, and Achievement
Education Week - April 18, 2013
A Smart Series paper calls for a full redesign of school funding policy to reorient the system around students. The authors call for a student-centered school finance system that is: 1) weighted to reflect the cost of educating certain students, e.g. high poverty, special needs, or gifted; 2) flexible to create greater school-level autonomy; 3) portable so that dollars can follow students to the school or course that best suits their individual needs; and 4) performance-based with incentives to reward performance and student completion.

Bigger Math Gains Seen In Middle School TFA Teachers’ Pupils
Education Week - April 9, 2013
A recent Texas study found that middle school students taught by TFA corps members and TFA alumni scored higher in math than students of non-TFA teachers with the same level of experience. The difference corresponds to more than a half year of additional learning for TFA corps members and close to a year of additional learning for TFA alumni.

Charter Schools’ Funding Lags, Study Finds
Education Week - April 17, 2013
Charter school students receive about $4,000 less in per-pupil funding than their regular public school peers according to an analysis of five regions across the U.S. The report includes federal, state, local, and non-public revenue for charter schools, and is a precursor to a larger study that will analyze funding trends for charter schools in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Editor’s note: In Louisiana the law requires that charters receive 98% of the per-pupil funding.

New Analysis Bolsters Case Against Suspension, Researchers Say
Education Week - April 8, 2013
A new study from UCLA’s Civil Rights Project looked at 26,000 schools and found that 1 in 9 secondary students in the U.S. received an out-of-school suspension. The study also found that since the 1970s the suspension rate for Black students more than doubled, while for white students, it remained nearly flat. Research has shown that being suspended even once in 9th grade is associated with a twofold increase in the likelihood of dropping out. Editor’s note: Suspensions and dropouts may be correlated, but suspensions do not necessarily cause dropouts. New Orleans has a relatively high suspension rate; it also has a relatively high graduation rate.

The Education Issue: Believing self-control predicts success, schools teach coping
Washington Post - April 11, 2013
Schools across the country are responding to research that suggests learning self-control in childhood can prevent serious problems later in life. Schools are finding alternatives to out-of-school suspensions by using a variety of tools – from character-based education to mindfulness meditation to social emotional learning – to teach the challenging, essential ABCs of self-control.

Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends
Education Week - April 11, 2013
A new report compares student performance in NYC, D.C. and Chicago to other urban districts that did not aggressively pursue reform policies, such as using test scores in teacher evaluations, opening more charter schools, and shutting down failing schools. Looking at NAEP scores over time, the study found that in the three districts, NAEP scores grew more slowly and achievement gaps widened more when compared to other urban districts.

States look at alternatives to GED test
Associated Press - April 15, 2013
Many states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test for next year. GED is updating its exam, and the new version of the test will be computer-based, more expensive, and likely more difficult. Editor’s Note: Louisiana has decided to remain with the GED for now.

Local News

Some New Orleans schools to see per-pupil funding drop
The Lens - April 16, 2013
With only a few months before their fiscal year ends, schools are going to see a reduction in their local per pupil funding. The per-pupil amount for the 2012-13 school year was projected to be $4,110 a child, but the amount is actually $3,929 – a reduction of $181 per student. Some argue that an increase in New Orleans voucher students contributed to the local shortfall.

Six school buildings herald new era in New Orleans
Times-Picayune - April 9, 2013
Six new school buildings opened their doors in last fall – Crocker and Woodson in Central City, Fannie C. Williams and Osborne in eastern New Orleans, and Parkview and Bienville in Gentilly. The buildings were constructed using the $1.8 billion FEMA settlement that the city received after Katrina. The new buildings have generated a lot of excitement, but questions remain about the School Facilities Master Plan and how the rest of the new construction and renovation will be funded.

2 new Orleans Parish charter schools find homes
Times-Picayune - April 17, 2013
The Orleans Parish School Board’s two new charter schools have finally been assigned buildings for next fall. The Homer A. Plessy Community School will share the former Frederick Douglass High School building with RSD charter Arise Academy, while Bricolage Academy will open in a temporary location Uptown.

Plan would allow some charter schools to reserve seats while taking part in OneApp
The Lens - April 15, 2013
The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is considering a plan that will allow Type 2 charters located in New Orleans to participate in the OneApp process but still hold seats for specific students. For example, New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy would be allowed to hold seats for students of military families statewide, and the International School of Louisiana could hold spots for study-abroad students.

John Mac charter school leaders are concerned about making payroll this month
Times-Picayune - April 17, 2013
In the wake of lower than projected revenues, leaders at John McDonogh High School are scrambling to find ways to make payroll on April 30. The school planned its budget around 480 students but had only 389 as of the October 1 count. Steve Barr, the head of the school’s charter management organization, says he will look for private donations and turn to his national organization for money before withholding pay from employees.

Keeping better track at the RSD: Editorial
Times-Picayune - April 12, 2013
Recent audits have raised concerns about RSD operations that the Times-Picayune says are a little too reminiscent of the old OPSB pre-Katrina. The first audit criticized the disappearance of $2.7 million in lost or stolen property over the past four years. The second faults the RSD for not properly overseeing modular campus construction after Hurricane Katrina, resulting in $6.1 million in questionable costs on the $105 million project.

Educate Now! was saddened to learn that Harold “Hal” Brown passed away last week. Hal helped to found New Orleans College Prep and was its first board chairman. He also served on the board of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools. Hal was very active in other areas of the recovery including key roles in economic development and neighborhood revitalization. His wife, Shawn Kennedy, asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to New Orleans College Prep or to the New Orleans African American Museum.

The combined graduation rate for all New Orleans public schools rose to 77.8%.

Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate by District
New Orleans = OPSB, RSD, charter and traditional schools

• The New Orleans graduation rate of 77.8% compares well to the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Department of Education report released in November, in 2011 the national average graduation rate for African American students was 60%, and the national average for white students was 76%.
• In New Orleans, public school enrollment is 88% African American, 6% white and 6% other.

• New Orleans outperformed the state of Louisiana (72.3%).

• New Orleans also outperformed Shreveport (63.4%) Baton Rouge (66%) and Jefferson Parish (70.4%).

• RSD-New Orleans is among the most-improved districts, going from a graduation rate of 58.8% in 2011 to 67.7% in 2012.

• RSD-New Orleans ranks #49, outperforming Baton Rouge and Shreveport. The RSD took over the worst performing high schools in the state. This progress in just a few years is remarkable.

• OPSB has the highest graduation rate in the state, although it dropped from 93.8% in 2011 to 89.3% in 2012.

View  graduation rates by school or by Louisiana district or see how Louisiana compares to other states.

Our Graduates Are Better Prepared

More New Orleans graduates are college and career ready. As Educate Now! reported in 2012, a much higher percentage of our graduates are qualifying for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) awards. TOPS provides two- and four-year merit-based scholarships to Louisiana public colleges and universities based on a student’s grade point average (GPA), ACT score, and coursework completed. In 2005, only 25% of New Orleans public school graduates qualified for a TOPS scholarship. In 2012, 39% qualified.

% of Public School Graduates Eligible for TOPS
Two- or Four-Year Scholarships

130% Improvement

Taking into account both the increase in graduation rates and the increase in percentage of graduates qualifying for TOPS, for every 100 students entering 9th grade, New Orleans went from only 13 of them graduating and qualifying for TOPS in 2005 to 30 of every 100 graduating and qualifying for TOPS in 2012 – a 130% improvement!

New Orleans Graduates College and Career Ready

Can We Trust the Data? 

The four-year cohort graduation rate tracks the percentage of high school students that graduate on time with a regular diploma. It is a robust measurement and gives a much more accurate picture of high school progress than the traditional annual graduation rate. Students are tracked throughout their high school career, and the results show not just our successes – on time graduates – but our disappointments – students who graduate late or who leave school and never return.

Who is included in the 2012 Cohort?

Any student who:

• Enrolled as a first time freshman in 2008
• Transferred into a New Orleans public school by October 1 of their junior year (2010)
• Transferred from one public school to another in Orleans Parish
• Dropped out – they remain in the cohort as a non-graduate
• Was expelled and did not reenroll in another school – they remain in the cohort as a non-graduate
• Left to pursue or obtained a GED – they remain in the cohort as a non-graduate
• Did not graduate by spring 2012 – they remain in the cohort as a non-graduate

Who is a “legitimate leaver” and not included in the Cohort?

Any student who:

• Transfers to a private school
• Transfers to a public school outside of Orleans Parish
• Is documented as being home schooled
• Leaves the state
• Is incarcerated
• Dies

Can’t students just disappear?

Actually, Louisiana does an excellent job of tracking students. Every student is assigned a student ID number. Each year the state identifies students who were enrolled in any Louisiana public school the prior year and are not enrolled in the current year. It eliminates from this list students who are “legitimate leavers.” Otherwise, the student is considered a dropout and remains in the cohort as a non-graduate.

• Common Core is Coming
• Can We Teach Innovation?
• Proposed Changes in Louisiana
• National Education Stories
• Local News

Louisiana overhauling teaching goals, standardized tests in effort to raise the bar for students
Times-Picayune - March 22, 2013
This article gives a good overview of the major changes coming as Louisiana raises the education bar again, implementing the new, national set of education standards called the Common Core. To help students meet the new goals, textbooks must be ordered, computers upgraded, lesson plans updated, and new tests developed. Louisiana has joined 22 states in using the PARCC tests for English and math, which will be much more rigorous than the current LEAP tests. The tests won’t go into effect until late 2014, but teachers will start teaching to the new standards this fall. Educators are encouraged to look at the PARCC sample items and prototypes to help them prepare.

Editor’s note: New York and Georgia are ahead of Louisiana in developing their new curricula, and both states are offering all of their materials for free online. Visit EngageNY.org or GeorgiaStandards.org for more information.

Need a Job? Invent It
The New York Times - March 30, 2013
Tom Friedman interviews Harvard education specialist Tony Wagner, who says our goal today should not be to make every child “college ready” but “innovation ready.” When information is available on every Internet-connected device, what you know matters far less than what you can do with what you know. Wagner says the ability to innovate – to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life – along with skills like critical thinking, communication, and collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge. Editor’s note: Hence, the Common Core!   

Louisiana public schools to receive two letter grades this year instead of one, White says
Times-Picayune - March 22, 2013
To help with the transition to the new School Performance Score (SPS) calculations this year, Superintendent of Education John White proposes that schools receive two letter grades, one reflecting what a school would have received using last year’s standards and one reflecting how it performed under the new rules. The state changed the SPS calculations for all schools this year, but high schools will see the most change with the addition of the ACT and changes in the Graduation Index.

Reducing number of high school diplomas proposed
The Advocate - March 26, 2013
State Superintendent John White wants to consider eliminating one of Louisiana’s high school diplomas, going from three diplomas (Core-4, Career and Basic) down to two (College and Career). He also wants to better align the College diploma with the requirements for TOPS scholarships and redesign the Career diploma to better prepare students for meaningful, high-wage careers in Louisiana.

Bill Gates: A fairer way to evaluate teachers
Washington Post - April 3, 2013
Bill Gates believes that fair teacher evaluations are within reach but says we must build a system that provides feedback and that teachers trust. A successful teacher evaluation system, he says, will include multiple measures of performance, such as student surveys, classroom observations by experienced colleagues, and student test results. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that new evaluation results in several states are generating concern because over 95% of teachers are being rated effective.

Atlanta Cheating Scandal Reverberates
Education Week - April 4, 2013
Retired Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall and 34 other educators have been named in a Grand Jury indictment alleging they cheated on state exams, hid the cheating, and retaliated against whistleblowers who tried to expose it. Philadelphia is in the middle of its own cheating scandal after a statewide investigation into cheating at 53 schools from 2009-11.

What’s needed for preschool to pay off? Two studies offer insights
Christian Science Monitor - March 28, 2013
Two new studies on preschool programs, one in New Jersey and one in Boston, show long-term academic gains and offer clues about what it takes to boost student progress. In both programs, teachers’ educational backgrounds, pay, and peer support are all higher than is typical at the preschool level; they are full-day programs open to all students regardless of family income; they offer curricula linked to system-wide educational standards; and the districts monitor teacher and student improvement on an ongoing basis. In Louisiana, Governor Jindal has proposed new accountability standards for public pre-K programs.

Mayoral Governance and Student Achievement: How Mayor-Led Districts Are Improving School and Student Performance
Education Gadfly - April 4, 2013
Giving a mayor control over a failing school district can lead to improved school performance according to a recent report from the Center for American Progress. The report looks at eleven urban districts governed by mayoral control, meaning the mayor had direct authority over at least some of the schools, and found that some districts significantly narrowed achievement gaps, while others saw mixed results.

Drug Testing in Middle School Can Cut Use as Students Age
Education Week - March 25, 2013
A six-year New Jersey study found that middle school students who were tested for drug and alcohol use at any point between 6th and 8th grade were less likely to drink and use drugs in middle school and less likely to drink when they got older.

Letter: Strong schools create strong students
The Advocate - April 5, 2013
A member of the Advisory Board for the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone recently visited three New Orleans charter schools and was impressed to find that their school autonomy resulted in positive school cultures, strong leadership with a clear vision, and an unwavering commitment to the belief that every student can learn and achieve at a high level. The Baton Rouge Achievement Zone is a partnership between the RSD and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board to turn around failing schools.

Orleans Parish School Board comes together to align a vision for the district
Times-Picayune - April 5, 2013
The Orleans Parish School Board met in Houston last week for a board management workshop sponsored by Stand for Children and the Cowen Institute.

SUNO, Algiers high school sign agreement for West Bank college campus
Times-Picayune - April 2, 2013
Southern University New Orleans is opening a new satellite campus at L.B. Landry High School in Algiers with the hope that it will increase enrollment and make courses more accessible to nontraditional students. SUNO will offer about 15 classes two nights a week this fall, including both remedial and for-credit courses.

Parents have few options when moving kids from failing public schools
The Lens - March 19, 2013
School Districts are required to notify parents when their children are attending a failing school and offer them the option to transfer to a non-failing school where there is space. Unfortunately, in New Orleans there still aren’t enough seats at high-performing schools, and the choices parents are being given often aren’t much better than their current school.

Arise Academy, Crescent City Schools receive $1.8 million to expand
Times-Picayune - March 27, 2013
Two New Orleans charter school management groups received close to $2 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to take over low performing schools. Arise Academy received $825,000 toward its planned takeover of Pride College Prep in eastern New Orleans, and Crescent City Schools received $1 million to help charter Habans Elementary in Algiers. The grants are part of a $25 million gift from the Arnold Foundation to give 15,000 New Orleans students a better education. The next round of grant recipients will be announced in May.

• Resurgent New Orleans
• News from the OPSB
• Latest on LA Education Reforms
• BESE Approves MFP for 2013-14
• National Education Stories
• Local News
• Announcement: Grant Funds Available

Resurgent New Orleans

New Orleans reached 81 percent of pre-Katrina population in 2012, Census figures show
Times-Picayune - March 14, 2013
New Orleans continues to grow and, according to the latest Census data, was at 81% of the city’s pre-Katrina population as of July 1, 2012. The New Orleans metropolitan area was in the top 25 counties for growth – the only urban center in that group. This growth includes a new influx of professionals to the city – from recent graduates to entrepreneurs to seasoned corporate professionals. Read more about the resurgence of New Orleans in this Times-Picayune article.

News from the OPSB 

Orleans Parish School Board nullifies Deputy Superintendent’s contract
Times-Picayune - March 19, 2013
At their latest meeting, the OPSB voted 4-2 to nullify the contract of Kathleen Padian, Deputy Superintendent for Charter Schools. Padian will become an at-will employee without a contract. Meanwhile, Board President Ira Thomas said he will seek the opinion of the state Attorney General on whether it is legal for him to be both the board President and an employee of Southern University at New Orleans, where he directs security.

Orleans Parish School Board committees focus on charter control
Times-Picayune - March 18, 2013
The OPSB is expected to approve support for a proposed bill that would allow returning charters to keep their LEA and continue to receive federal funds directly, without the OPSB taking a cut.

Latest on LA Education Reforms

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s teacher tenure and evaluation reforms ruled unconstitutional
Times-Picayune - March 4, 2013
A district court judge has ruled Act 1, the part of Governor Jindal’s education overhaul dealing with teacher tenure and evaluations, unconstitutional. The judge declared that it violates the “single object” section of the state Constitution, which says any bill must contain only one “aim or purpose of enactment.” The state has appealed the ruling to the Louisiana Supreme Court. If it is found to be unconstitutional, Governor Jindal stated he will call the Legislature into special session to address the issue.

State Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Louisiana vouchers case
Times-Picayune - March 19, 2013
The state Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether Act 2 – Governor Jindal’s voucher legislation – is unconstitutional because it diverts public MFP funds to private entities. No immediate ruling was handed down.

Eric Cantor touts Gov. Jindal’s voucher policies during New Orleans visit
Times-Picayune - March 8, 2013
During a recent visit to St. Mary’s Catholic School in New Orleans, U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Governor Jindal’s voucher program could serve as a model for education reform and school choice nationwide.

Registration open for new state program that allows public school students to take outside courses on the state’s dime
Times-Picayune - March 11, 2013
The Louisiana Department of Education announced that online registration is now available for Louisiana’s Course Choice Program, which provides funding for high school students to take college and career courses outside the traditional school setting. Course Choice is available to students who attend a C, D or F public school or who want to register for a course not offered at their A or B public school. Editor’s note: Course Choice and the voucher program are part of Act 2, which may be ruled unconstitutional. The State Supreme Court heard arguments this week. 

Louisiana receives $9 million to turn around failing schools from U.S. Dept. of Education
Times-Picayune - March 18, 2013
Louisiana will receive $9.2 million from the federal School Improvement Grant program to help turnaround failing schools. Local school districts can apply for grants for specific turnaround efforts, including: replacing the school principal and some or most of the staff, converting the school into a charter, or closing the school and making room for students at high-performing schools. The state estimates that this year’s funding will be enough to finance the turnaround of 10 to 15 schools.

BESE Approves MFP for 2013-14

$3.4 billion school funding plan OK’d by BESE, heads to Legislature
Times-Picayune - March 8, 2013
BESE has approved this year’s MFP resolution, which specifies the cost of educating a child in Louisiana and determines what share the state and each parish should contribute. The resolution does not increase per pupil funding, changes the funding formula for students in special education, maintains the private and parochial school voucher program, and ends the requirement that districts spend 70 percent of the funds in the classroom. The Legislature must approve the plan during its spring session.

National Education Stories

Career Technical Education Linked to Boys’ High School Survival
Education Week - March 4, 2013
Enrollment in career technical education courses (CTE) is a strong predictor of staying in high school – especially for boys. An analysis of high school transcripts by the National Research Center of Career and Technical Education showed that earning three or more CTE credits was second only to a freshman boy’s grade point average as the strongest variable affecting high school graduation. The Research Center’s director said that high schools place too much emphasis on preparing students for a four-year college when that’s not the right path for many. CTE can help retain some students who are at high risk of dropping out.

Searching for Charter School Excellence
Education Gadfly - March 14, 2013
The researchers at Public Impact looked at charter school performance in five cities – Albany, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, and Indianapolis – and found that 1) charter schools outperformed their home district’s schools, which had similar levels of poverty, but trailed their states overall; 2) within each city quality varied widely, with some very high-performing charter schools and some dismal ones; 3) the way to improve charter performance overall is to close or replace low-performing schools and expand or replicate high-performing schools.

Why both extremes are wrong in the debate over school closings
Hechinger Report - March 8, 2013
A coalition of residents from 18 cities have called for a moratorium on school closures in this country, but Sarah Carr says a moratorium is too simplistic. A more holistic approach is needed, one that extends beyond test scores and includes an assessment of whether families will have ready access to high-quality alternatives.

Helping Education Leaders Grow
Education Week - March 12, 2013
A new national survey finds that three out of four K-12 public school principals believe the job has become “too complex,” and about a third say they are likely to go into a different occupation within next five years. This Ed Week commentary, co-authored by New Orleanian Jonas Chartock of Leading Educators, proposes more training for teachers who will become tomorrow’s principals and an expansion of middle-level leadership roles that provide teachers with a more intentional, longer-term path to the principalship.

Best and Worst Teachers Can Be Flagged Early, Says Study
Education Week - March 5, 2013
A recent study of New York teachers suggests that the most – and least – effective elementary teachers show their colors at the very start of their careers. The study tracked over 7,600 new teachers over 5 years and found that teachers who were the lowest performing in their first year were likely to still be the lowest performing in their fifth year, and teachers who were the highest performing in their first year remained the highest performing five years later.

Experts Make a Case for Later School Start Times
Education Week - March 15, 2013
As more research becomes available on the importance of adequate sleep for adolescents, communities across the country are looking at pushing back start times for middle and high schools as a way to improve student performance and behavior as well as physical and mental health.

Diane Ravitch Launches New Education Advocacy Counterforce
Education Week - March 7, 2013
Education historian Diane Ravitch, a fierce critic of current trends in education reform, is launching an advocacy organization. Her new Network for Public Education will support political candidates who oppose high-stakes testing, mass school closures, and what her group calls the “privatizing” of public schools.

Local News

Report puts light on school suspension
The Advocate - March 13, 2013
According to the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JPPL), 59% of public schools in New Orleans have an out-of-school suspension rate higher than the state average of 9.6%. Twenty-five schools have an out-of-school suspension rate above 20%. JPPL says suspensions matter because they are a leading indicator of whether a child will drop out of school and because they increase a child’s risk for future incarceration. Sci Academy says they use out-of-school suspensions as tool to help improve student success, but they are combined with counseling, peer mediation, and other interventions. View individual school report cards on the JPPL website. Editor’s note: The annual drop out rate for all New Orleans public schools (OPSB + RSD) has fallen 60% since Katrina, from 11.4% in 2004-05 to 4.1% in 2010-11.

BESE hears from merger opponents
The Advocate - March 17, 2013
Three BESE members recently met with Algiers residents to hear their concerns about the planned merger of L.B. Landry and O.P. Walker. The BESE members, Lottie Beebe, Carolyn Hill, and Kira Orange Jones, said they were surprised to learn that so many were against the merger. Orange Jones said that she was told only a small group of people were fighting the merger, but the crowd of 300 that filled the room showed that wasn’t true.

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network considering expanding ‘Blackboard Wars’
Times-Picayune - March 15, 2013
“Blackboard Wars,” the unscripted series set at John McDonogh High School, has struck a chord with American audiences. Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network is considering extending its six-episode run with a second season. Back home, the show remains controversial, with many John McDonogh families angry over what they see as the exploitation of their children.

Announcement: Grant Funds Available

La. to use fund to boost low-rated schools
The Advocate - March 14, 2013
The Louisiana Department of Education announced a new competitive grant initiative, called Believe and Succeed, to help turn around failing schools. Using re-purposed federal dollars, Believe and Succeed will provide grants to school districts and nonprofits for new school development and for expanding high-performing schools and school networks. Applications are available online and are due on April 26th, 2013.

Thomas has served on the Orleans Parish School Board for the past four years. He has been Police Chief for Southern University at New Orleans for three and a half years. By holding both positions, he may be violating Louisiana’s Dual Office Holding and Dual Employment Law.

The law states: “No person holding an elective office in a political subdivision of this state shall at the same time hold another elective office or full-time appointive office in the government of this state or in the government of a political subdivision thereof. No such person shall hold at the same time employment in the government of this state, or in the same political subdivision in which he holds an elective office.”

Read more about Thomas and what might happen next in The Lens.

Update 3-19-13:  Board President Ira Thomas said he will seek the opinion of the state Attorney General on whether it is legal for him to be both the board President and an employee of Southern University at New Orleans, where he directs security.