Public school leaders in New Orleans are pushing an aggressive plan to shake up the city鈥檚 worst schools, even as a recent audit revealed that the district continues to be plagued by financial mismanagement.
Superintendent Anthony S. Amato was scheduled last week to present the Orleans Parish school board with his plan to create a 鈥渞enaissance district,鈥� made up of failing schools that must show improvement or face state intervention.
The centerpiece of the plan鈥攚hich the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must approve鈥攊ncludes phasing out many of the worst-performing middle schools by forming K-8 schools.
Mr. Amato, who was not available for an interview, prepared a PowerPoint presentation to give the board on April 1 that was peppered with research showing that students in K-8 schools often perform better academically and socially than students in middle schools, which typically include grades 6-8.
The plan for 鈥渞enaissance鈥� schools also calls for an extended instructional day, 鈥渄ouble doses鈥� of literacy and mathematics, and a requirement that all teachers in the special district be highly qualified. A superintendent would be hired to oversee the district and would be required, according to the presentation, to have a 鈥渄emonstrated record of improving academic achievement of urban students.鈥�
As Mr. Amato moved ahead with his plan, the Louisiana education department had identified 14 New Orleans schools that could be the target of state intervention if they failed to show improvement. Under a law passed by the state legislature last year, schools that are failing under accountability programs spelled out by both the district and the state are eligible for takeover. (鈥淪tates Train Sights on School Districts for Interventions,鈥� Jan. 28, 2004.)
Two Reform Efforts
The law calls for the schools to be placed under the control of a special state school district, called a 鈥渞ecovery district,鈥� overseen by the state department of education and the state school board. Nonprofit groups are eligible to help run recovery schools. So far, 13 nonprofit organizations have expressed interest in doing so, according to Leslie Jacobs, a member of the state board.
鈥淭here are two reform efforts converging on New Orleans,鈥� Ms. Jacobs said.
If the state board approves Mr. Amato鈥檚 renaissance plan and the targeted schools show improvement, she explained, they would not face a state takeover. But if the plan is rejected and the district can鈥檛 present another successful reconstitution plan, failing schools in New Orleans would be eligible for intervention and placed in the recovery district.
Ms. Jacobs expressed initial support for Mr. Amato鈥檚 plan to establish K-8 schools.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good idea,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here is some national and state data that shows students鈥� performance does go backwards during middle school.鈥�
Meanwhile, a recent legislative audit of the 80,000-student district revealed that long-running finance-related problems continue to plague the system.
The March 24 audit found, among other concerns, that between 2001 and 2003 the district paid out some $3 million to former employees who continued to receive payroll checks even after they left the system.
鈥淭he Orleans Parish school board did not have adequate management, nor did it establish policy to safeguard public funds and prevent the payments to terminated employees,鈥� the audit report says.
Cheryl Mills, the president of the district school board, did not return calls requesting comment.
鈥楾otally Inept鈥�
The board has adopted resolutions pushing Mr. Amato to ferret out individuals or companies that have received illegal payments from the district. The school system is also facing an ongoing investigation by the New Orleans district attorney鈥檚 office into allegations of fraud and other financial abuses. (鈥淣ew Orleans Schools Focus of Fraud Probe,鈥� Oct. 22, 2003.) State Sen. Tom Schedler, who is the vice chairman of the legislature鈥檚 audit advisory council, said the district must come up with a plan to institute a functional finance department.
鈥淭his has just been a totally inept process, with people who don鈥檛 know what they are doing,鈥� he charged, referring to district finances in New Orleans. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 keep your books straight, how are you going to educate the children?鈥�
Mr. Amato, who was tapped for the top school post in New Orleans in February of last year, has a reputation for turning around troubled districts. A former superintendent in Hartford, Conn., and in New York City鈥檚 Community School District 6, Mr. Amato helped improve the academic performance of those districts in quick fashion.
But James Meza, the dean of the college of education and human development at the University of New Orleans, said the superintendent has been forced to focus on cleaning up the district鈥檚 financial house.
鈥淗e鈥檚 had to shift his energies from academics to finances,鈥� Mr. Meza said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dysfunctional system operationally.
鈥淎mato has to transform a system that has been under ineffective leadership for eight to 10 years,鈥� he said.
