Monday, October 10, 2011

LDE Will Restructure OPO to Improve Charter Monitoring

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) plans to restructure the Office of Parental Options (OPO) to improve charter school monitoring. Currently, the OPO is in charge of charter school oversight, support, and development.  These different activities have resulted in competing priorities within the OPO at times.  The proposed changes would focus OPO on oversight of charter schools and transfer the development and support of charter schools to other offices within LDE.  The proposed changes would also increase the role of the RSD in monitoring of Type 5 charter schools and make annual on-site reviews of charter schools a priority.

Click here for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting packet including details of the OPO restructuring starting on page 61.

Click here for an article on the issue in the Times-Picayune.

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Legislative Session 2012

Although the 2012 Regular Legislative Session is still five months away, we are already beginning to get a glimpse at some of the issues that may be highlighted once the session begins.  Blueprint Louisiana, a coalition of business and civic leaders from throughout the state, released its agenda for the upcoming session in late September.  Related to K-12 education, Blueprint Louisiana plans to push for a change to teacher tenure laws, an increase in school autonomy, and consolidation of all state pre-Kindergarten programs into a single system.

The nature of the 2012 legislative session will be significantly impacted by two upcoming events: the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) elections this month and the eventual appointment of a permanent state superintendent of education.  In the past, the position that BESE has taken on bills related to K-12 education has had an influence on the success of bills.  Furthermore, a new superintendent may envision changes to education policy that would need to be supported by legislation.  The Cowen Institute will continue to provide periodic updates for the lead up to the 2012 session.

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RSD Announces Proposed Revisions to the SFMP

On Friday, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) and the Recovery School District (RSD) announced proposed revisions to the School Facilities Master Plan.  As we wrote about previously, the districts announced a set of proposed amendments to the master plan in late June.  Based on the feedback they received in response to those amendments, the districts decided to rework the proposed amendments before presenting them for final adoption by the OPSB and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

The new revisions reflect a commitment on the part of both districts to address one of the major criticisms of the initial amendments by making sure that every student is served under the master plan.  The peer review committee that worked on the revisions has identified ways to decrease the cost of new schools in the plan and has identified some additional sources of funding.  Additionally, the proposed revisions include changes to the scope of renovations planned for many schools.  Together, the proposed revisions represent a transformation in the philosophy behind the master plan and, for the first time, make it likely that every school that serves students in New Orleans will benefit under the plan.

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BESE Meets in New Orleans to Consider RSD Matters

On September 28th the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) met in New Orleans to discuss Recovery School District (RSD) matters only. RSD Superintendent John White presented the RSD’s strategic plan, What Will It Take?.  The board also considered a report that will inform the RSD’s city-wide enrollment policy, how the Office of Parental Options (OPO) will be restructured to improve charter oversight, and the RSD’s FY 2012 budget, all to be presented at the next BESE meeting on October 18th. At the meeting OPO announced the hiring of a Charter School Accountability Manger, a result of the OPO’s restructuring efforts.

Click here for the meeting packet including the enrollment, OPO restructuring, and budget reports among other items covered during the meeting.

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RSD Will Strengthen Test Security Program

On September 30th, the Recovery School District (RSD) announced new procedures related to test security for the administration of high-stakes tests. Among the changes, the RSD will shorten the time test booklets are stored at schools before being administered to students to two days in order to improve test security.  The district will also provide additional training for school personnel about test administration and security. The new policy will be fully in effect this spring (2012) for Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) and Graduate Exit Examination (GEE) testing.

Click here for the RSD press release.

Click here for an article in the Times-Picayune covering the issue.

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