By Chunlin Leonhard
The Act 467 Working Group has recently proposed to revamp New Orleans public school funding formulas intending to increase funding for children with special needs. While this is a laudable goal, the proposed new formula takes desperately needed funds away from schools serving children from middle class families of all races. The proposed funding formula threatens to undo recent progress in making high quality public schools a realistic and viable option for middle class parents of all races. Taking desperately needed funds away from schools such as Audubon Charter School, Warren Easton, Ben Franklin, Edward Hynes, Lusher, McMain, and McDonogh #35 Academy, will only serve to weaken public school education overall by forcing middle class parents out of the New Orleans public school system.
When my husband and I relocated to New Orleans six years ago with two school-age children, we lived through the difficulties faced by parents when deciding which schools to send our children. My husband and I both believe strongly in public-school education for our children. We are grateful to have a viable public school option here in New Orleans. (I began serving on the Lusher School Board in August 2013, but I am expressing my own personal opinion here.)
There is no doubt that we have to do a better job educating the most needy children, but not at the expense of middle class families and a sustainable public school system. The middle class families’ support of a public school education for their children is critically necessary to a functioning and sustainable public school system in New Orleans. Over the years, I have observed a gradually increasing interest in New Orleans families to send their children to the public schools. Policymakers should try to adopt funding policies which would foster instead of stifling the interest.
Strong middle class support of our public schools will result in a better public school system to the benefit of ALL children in the long run. The Act 467 Working Group’s cynical and short sighted proposal unfortunately pits families with special-needs kids against middle-class families instead of focusing on building a quality public school system that meets the needs of ALL who desire a public education.
Chunlin Leonhard is an associate professor at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and a member of the Lusher Charter School board.
This is unreal. Where are the suggestions for actually solving the problem? The author doesn’t even call for additional funding for special-needs students in the rest of the city. Instead, she calls for policymakers to pay more attention to the rich.
There’s also an undertone of holding the public schools hostage. An implied threat that you better not touch Lusher’s funding, or we’ll stop supporting public eduction in general. But if this is the kind of support that Lusher board members provide—one entirely ignoring the real challenge of educating neediest students in the city on a funding system that is based on a headcount rather than student needs—I’m not sure public education would be worse off without it.
It’s not just Lusher that will suffer. Audubon, Morris Jeff, ISL and many other high performing schools are under attack from this bill. This bill, as I understand it, does not take into account the special needs of especially bright or talented kids. Funding for Gifted/Talented will be slashed. Why was this bill passed to only interfere in Orleans Parish? Why was it proposed by a Baton Rouge Senator if it’s what is best for New Orleans? There are many unanswered questions, and at a minimum the BESE needs to delay adoption until the Act 467 working committee can properly assess this bill.
man, the more I read up on this the more it stinks. The “advisory committee” is stacked with Jindal appointed RSD members and former RSD members/supporters. Of 11 members on that committee only 3 represent OBSB schools, several represent “at risk” youth, and NONE represent gifted/talented kids. And surprise! The new formula recommended by the committee (out today) completely rips off schools with G/T kids and directs massive sums to schools with developmentally disabled kids. In particular benefiting RSD schools. Some of these RSD schools have been caught defrauding the state on the number of such children and the level of their disability. This is all very suspect and stinks of politics as usual. It is possible this is all on the up and up, but the way this has been executed throws it all into question.
and here are some links to some other opinions on this, good to read: http://peterccook.com/2016/01/26/check-your-privilege/ http://peterccook.com/2015/12/10/lusher-funding/
and here is the act itself: https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=960523
Here is what was passed today. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2719698-Citywide-Funding-Formula-2-24-16.html
A 71% cut to Gifted/
Talented funding if I’m putting this all together correctly.