The preliminary site plan for Audubon Charter School's temporary campus in Gentilly. (via auduboncharter.com - click to see full PDF)
Audubon Charter School received its first look this week at the layout of its new campus at the former Jean Gordon site in Gentilly, as school officials continue to look forward to a wintertime move.
While the school still hopes to be able to move its Broadway campus to the new modular campus over the winter break in time to return to class on time Jan. 4, that timeline is not definite, said Alisa Dupre’ business operations manager for Audubon. Officials with the Orleans Parish School Board are still working through permitting and other variables that could affect the move-in dates.
With the Broadway campus move and renovations now on track, it is time for Audubon Charter to begin longer-range planning, said board vice-chair Carlos Zervigon. The school launched as a charter in January 2006 in an emergency effort to reopen after the city’s flooding following Hurricane Katrina, quickly built its eight grades and filled them to capacity, and has seen its test scores rise steadily each year, he said. Although facilities remain a struggle, they have entered a less urgent phase, giving the board the space to begin looking toward the future, Zervigon said.
“I see this as the time, the opportunity, because we have so many of the early struggles behind us now,” Zervigon said.
The first step will be creating some stability on the board, amending the bylaws to create more structure in the length and timing of board terms, Zervigon suggested. Afterward, the planning process can begin in earnest.
“I expect that next year will be a productive year and a busy year,” Zervigon said. “But instead of events controlling us, we’ll have a goal.”
To read live coverage of Saturday morning’s meeting, click “Replay” in the box below.
Zervigon … what are your goals for the school? More chaos as you continue to not allow those events control you? Or do you just hope that the parents will give up with exhaustion and let you do as you please with the school? I do hope you find stronger leaders for your board and reconsider how administration conducts itself with the families that fill the classrooms at that school.
Also, the strong move to “montessori program” … what about the French program? Guess your hearts and desires have never been with this strong group of familes that have filled your classrooms and contributed heavily to strengthen your school’s scores for the past years.
Thanks to Uptown Messenger for keeping the public informed about ACS!
“The first step will be creating some stability on the board, amending the bylaws to create more structure in the length and timing of board terms”
Sounds great, so what is the length of time that one can continue to STAY on the board? Seems as though the Audubon board does not follow its bylaws very closely!