Leah Chase School in new chapter for NOLA Public Schools
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Members of the Chase family celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the Leah Chase School with NOLA Public Schools officials on Saturday, Aug. 3. Photo: Courtesy of NOLA Public Schools
Nearly 300 students will return to school Tuesday at the former Lafayette Academy building on Carrollton Avenue, but now they'll be attending the Leah Chase School.
Why it matters: It's the first school that NOLA Public Schools plans to permanently manage itself in nearly two decades.
The latest: Enrollment for the new school was so high, NOLA Public Schools superintendent Avis Williams told Axios New Orleans, the system had to hire more teachers than originally planned.
- Most teachers started last week, Williams said, but hiring was still ongoing as of Friday, with offer letters likely to go out early this week.
- But "we're in great shape to be prepared" for Tuesday's start of classes, she said.
- The school's "top priority is academic excellence," Williams said, but will also focus on arts education. A partnership with the New Orleans Ballet Association, for example, is in the works.
Catch up quick: After Hurricane Katrina, the state took over New Orleans' public school system, giving families the choice between charter or direct-run schools.
- But by 2019, the city had the nation's first all-charter public school system, according to WWL.
- That meant NOLA Public Schools' role was as charter school manager, overseeing charters, buildings and levying taxes, according to Fox 8, rather than directly managing the educational experience for New Orleans students or working with teachers.
- In February, the NOLA Public Schools board voted to establish its first permanent, direct-run school in 18 years.
Between the lines: With only about six months between that vote and doors opening at the Leah Chase School, NOLA Public Schools has been a bit busy as it prepares to host kindergarten through fifth grade students.
- "The time frame was short," Williams acknowledged, saying it took "all hands on deck … to ensure we were able to open the school at a level of excellence."
- The school plans to add pre-K and sixth grade next year, and eventually expand up to eighth grade.
What's next: The school's opening marks a tide shift for NOLA Public Schools.
- "It speaks to us moving into a new iteration with more of a hybrid model rather than 100% charter-run schools," Williams said.
- Planning is underway for how NOLA Public Schools could have the finances and structure to open more direct-run schools in the coming years, she said.
- That plan is due to be presented to the NOLA Public Schools Board in October.