UPDATED
Paul Pastorek, the former Louisiana schools chief who helped lead the overhaul of New Orleans鈥� schools after Hurricane Katrina, has agreed to a contract with Puerto Rico鈥檚 Department of Education to provide various services as island schools continue their recovery from their own catastrophic storm, Hurricane Maria in 2017.
reported Tuesday that Pastorek鈥檚 contract with the island鈥檚 education department requires him to help on a variety of fronts, from aiding the school system in getting hurricane recovery funds to implementing the state鈥檚 Every Student Succeeds Act plan. The contract reportedly runs until June 2019 and is worth a maximum of $155,000, at $250 an hour.
Pastorek could not be immediately reached for comment. Puerto Rico Secretary of Education Julia Keleher said that in addition to his broad portfolio, Pastorek has proven particularly helpful as the island sets up seven new administrative regions for its public schools.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not trying to figure this out. He鈥檚 lived through all this and led through all this,鈥� Keleher said, referring to Pastorek鈥檚 post-Katrina experience.
See Also: Putting Puerto Rico鈥檚 Schools Back on Track
Late last year, we spoke to Pastorek about his perspective on the challenges facing Puerto Rico鈥檚 public schools. He said that in some ways Puerto Rico鈥檚 difficulties were greater than those in Louisiana, given that its school system was more than five times as large as New Orleans鈥� when Katrina struck, and that it could be harder for the U.S. territory to attract a new influx of teachers than to the Crescent City.
鈥淚f they have to face the same challenges we did, it is going to be a difficult and a long slog through no fault of their own,鈥� Pastorek said. 鈥淭here are few options that are easy, automatic, and elegantly right.鈥�
Pastorek was superintendent of Louisiana schools from 2007 to 2011. He won praise from some quarters for the performance of New Orleans schools when they were placed under state control after Katrina. But teachers鈥� unions and others vigorously criticized him for being inflexible on policy matters and inattentive to the needs of educators.
American Federation of Teachers鈥� President Randi Weingarten blasted Pastorek鈥檚 contract with Puerto Rico, sayin in a statement that, 鈥淢ake no mistake, Pastorek and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos share a vision for education, closing schools, privatization and disinvestment from public schools--and it will mean more disruption.鈥� (The teachers鈥� union in Puerto Rico is an affiliate of the AFT.)
Since then Pastorek has worked at as co-director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation鈥檚 education work, and as an independent education consultant.
Metro reports that Pastorek is also responsible for helping to seek philanthropic support for the island鈥檚 education system.