Recovery School District, New Orleans School Board to Partner on Master Plan

By Anonymous

In a move education officials are calling historic, the Recovery School District will partner with the Orleans Parish School Board to develop a comprehensive plan for what the public school system will look like in the future.

The district and board are soliciting proposals to develop a master plan that would include, among other things, recommendations for locations for new schools.

The plan is also designed to provide a blueprint for future school renovations and new construction.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 2 p.m. April 5. The contract period is tentatively scheduled to extend from April 23 to January 18.

“This is an important step in determining where new schools will be and what the educational landscape will look like in New Orleans for years to come,” said RSD Superintendent Robin Jarvis. “There is going to be a plan, and the public will be involved in developing that plan.”

Officials said the planning process will include extensive community input and take place in the coming months, even as renovated and temporary school facilities continue to open to serve a growing student population.

The long-term plan is slated for a January 2008 completion.

The master planner will:

* Develop facility standards;

* Anticipate and address future enrollment projections and capacity needs;

* Develop an educational program for every school expected to be opened;

* Evaluate existing school facilities;

* Prepare a capital renewal forecast for maintenance and planning for the next ten years;

* Prepare a facilities master plan incorporating the recommendations of the Unified New Orleans Plan, the building requirements from the Louisiana Recovery Authority and floodplain levels; and

* Conduct community engagement workshops throughout the planning process.

“We have worked hard over the past year to deal with the immediate and urgent issues that have faced us, such as repairing a sufficient number of schools to meet the needs of the rapidly growing student population. But as we move forward, it will be on the basis of a long-term plan in which the city and community participate,” Jarvis said.

“The fact that the city, RSD and OPSB are going to be working together with the community to develop a long-term plan for the public school system should send a strong signal about our joint determination to create a better future for our children,” OPSB President Phyllis Landrieu said.

Ed Blakely, executive director of the city’s Office of Recovery Management, said, “The future of the public schools is a critical issue for all residents of New Orleans. Having a coordinated, comprehensive and unified plan – and having the plan move forward quickly – is essential. We must all work together, along with residents of our communities, to develop a thoughtful and practical master plan, and this request for proposals is a first step in that process.”

As of February, about half of the public school student population has returned to public schools in Orleans Parish.

Currently, the RSD operates 20 direct-run schools and 17 charter schools and serves more than 17,000 students. The OPSB operates 5 direct-run schools and 12 charter schools and serves more than 9,000 students.

The short-term facility plans for the RSD for the 2007-08 school year include the completion of 15 building restoration projects at existing RSD and OPSB school facilities and the addition of 12-15 modular campuses at RSD and OPSB school sites, adding about 16,000 student seats to Orleans Parish.

(Copyright 2007 Dolan Media Newswires)

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