New Orleans Teachers Say Modular Housing Is Too Little, Too Late

Government agencies trying to woo educators back to city with free 'pods.'

When Louisiana leaders said this month that they would provide 250 modular housing units for teachers in New Orleans, they were hoping to draw educators back to the city’s schools. But the news instead has irked some teachers displaced by Hurricane Katrina, who say that by offering them “storage pods” for homes, authorities are rubbing salt in their wounds.

In announcing the decision to provide the housing units, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a Democrat, said on Sept. 13 that the state government is “doing everything in our power to provide affordable housing so good teachers can return to the classroom.”

The fully furnished units each have two bedrooms and will be offered rent-free to teachers. A statement from the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the planning and coordinating body created to rebuild storm-hit areas in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, said teachers displaced by the storm are encouraged to...