A four-part series of community forums hosted by the Orleans Public Education Network beginning this weekend will explore the future of school governance in New Orleans, with the first two parts being held at Uptown schools.
The first meeting, entitled “Visioning for The Future of Schools: What’s in The Law?”, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Mahalia Jackson Elementary School on Jackson Avenue, and will seek to create an “initial vision for the school system.” The second meeting, held Oct. 13 at the Andrew Wilson school in Broadmoor, will be called “The Challenge of Effective Leadership” and seek to define community values for local schools.
Later meetings in Lakeview, Treme and Algiers will identify governance models aligned with the vision and values established at the first two meetings. For more information, see the full news release below:
For the first time Post-Katrina, the New Orleans community will be given an opportunity to define what it wants for leadership of its schools. Not since the late days of 2005, in the twilight of Act 35’s passage has the New Orleans community had a platform to articulate its vision for the future of school board governance and local control. While the State Superintendent, RSD Superintendent and other elected/education officials reiterate the importance of this critical decision affirming that the collective New Orleans community must decide the future of its school system, there has been no public forum for having the community’s voice heard in directly articulating what it wants from its schools and School Board, until now!
In an important public process convened by the people and for the people, the Orleans Public Education Network in partnership with a broad and diverse coalition of 20+ organizations will convene the four-part School Governance Conversation to define the mandate for the next school board and the future of public education leadership in New Orleans.
The four-part series will include meetings across the city, spanning the uptown/downtown geographical divide and reaching into Algiers and New Orleans East to ensure ALL New Orleanians are afforded easy access to the discussion.
We do not want Uptown’s voice to be missing from this conversation. You may notice that two of the meeting locations are in fact Uptown!
During the process, community members will: Craft a vision for the future of public school governance, Delineate values for the system & Identify and select school governance model(s) that are most aligned with the community’s vision and values.
Meeting Dates, Locations & Themes
Meeting One: Visioning for The Future of Schools: What’s in The Law?
Expected Outcome: Initial Vision for the School System
Saturday, October 6 | 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Mahalia Jackson School (Central City –2405 Jackson Avenue)Meeting Two: The Challenge of Effective Leadership
Expected Outcome: Community Values for the New Orleans School System
Saturday, October 13 | 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Andrew H. Wilson School (Broadmoor –3617 General Pershing)Meeting Three: Building A Model That Works for New Orleans
Expected Outcome: Identify Models/Designs most aligned with New Orleans’ Values and Vision
Saturday, October 20 | 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Knights of Columbus (Lakeview – 6254 Vicksburg [next to St. Paul Church])Meeting Four: Community Dialogue and Decision-Making (The Vote)
Expected Outcome: Finalized Vision, Values and Model(s) most well-suited for New Orleans
Saturday, October 27 | 10:30 am – 1:00 pm | Two Locations, same time
Christian Unity Baptist Church (Treme –1700 Conti Street)
& O. Perry Walker High School (Algiers –2832 General Meyer Ave)Transportation, Childcare & Meal Provided
For More Information Contact: 504.821.4004 or info@opennola.org
