Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
The School Impact
The school year for students, teachers, and education staff in New Orleans, Alabama, and Mississippi was decimated by the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This Education Week series covered the hurricanes’ impact at the district, state, and federal levels.
School & District Management
Louisiana Eyes Plan to Let State Control New Orleans Schools
Calling it a “golden opportunity for rebirth," Gov. Blanco asked the legislature to embrace a state control plan for New Orleans public schools.
IT Infrastructure & Management
FCC Offers E-Rate Aid to Hurricane-Affected Schools
A recent order issued by the Federal Communications Commission seeks to help hundreds of schools affected by Hurricane Katrina restore their telecommunications through the federal E-rate program.
School & District Management
Worry Mounting Over New Orleans Schools
As many jostle to play roles in the rebirth of the New Orleans public schools, worry is mounting that the process lacks a coherent vision.
Law & Courts
Judge Rules New Orleans Board Must Revote on Charters
The New Orleans school board’s decision to open its first post-Hurricane Katrina group of 13 schools as charter schools was declared void last week by a local judge, who ruled that the panel’s vote violated the state’s open-meetings law.
School Choice & Charters
House Panel Rejects Education Accounts for Hurricane Aid
A Republican plan to send hurricane aid to both public and private schools was defeated unexpectedly last week in the House education committee, after coming under attack as a voucher program in disguise.
States
La. Legislature Readies for Special Session
With Louisiana’s revenues greatly reduced in the wake of two hurricanes, and thousands of students still displaced from their home districts, state lawmakers will meet this month to figure out how to distribute money for the remainder of the 2005-06 school year.
School & District Management
Educators Discover That Tracking Displaced Students is a Challenge
Thousands of Louisiana students who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina may not have enrolled in school anywhere, according to the state schools chief, and Louisiana is hard-pressed to keep track of students who have dispersed to almost every state in the country.
Budget & Finance
Storms Spur Flood of Giving for Schools
A flood of donations has reached schools and students affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
School & District Management
Judge Calls Halt to New Orleans’ Charter School Plan
A judge has temporarily halted the move by the New Orleans school board to open all of its schools on the city’s West Bank as charter schools. She accused the plan’s leaders of exploiting the city’s vulnerability after Hurricane Katrina to advance their advocacy of charter schools without enough public input.
Federal
Hurricane-Relief Bills Pile Up in Congress
Congress continues to debate—and add to—a long list of proposals that would provide federal education aid to districts damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and others taking in students displaced by the storms. But the initial urgency for school aid appears to have stalled, and by late last week those proposals had made little progress.
School & District Management
For Education Dept., Hurricane Issues Are a Top Priority
The Department of Education’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights has spent part of every week in Mississippi ever since Hurricane Katrina swept across the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.
Curriculum
Displaced TFA Corps to Work in Louisiana Relief Centers
Some 50 Teach For America teachers who lost their jobs because of the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina should soon be back at work as managers in Louisiana’s recovery effort.
School Choice & Charters
Private Schools Feel Slighted by Disaster-Relief Rules
Private school administrators are trying to get on an equal footing with public schools when it comes to qualifying for money from FEMA.
Federal
Cuts Weighed to Pay for Hurricane Relief
Congressional Republicans have proposed cutting some education programs to free up federal money for hurricane relief for schools. But Congress didn’t get any closer last week to approving a federal aid plan, so school districts continue to wait for such aid to flow to their schools.