Cowen Institute

The Cowen Institute is pleased to share with you the latest in K-12 education policy at the local, state and federal levels. Our policy team frames the issues impeding the success of the public education in New Orleans and develops and advances research-based policy and legislative solutions. We continuously inform leaders in local, state, and federal government of the issues relevant to the city’s system of public schools. Our team actively works with policymakers, administrators, and community leaders to advance solutions through advocacy efforts. Our efforts ensure the success of every public school in the city by advocating for adequate and equitable funding, safe facilities, an effective governance model, and strong accountability of schools.

The State of Public Education in New Orleans: School Finances

The Cowen Institute at Tulane University is pleased to release its latest publication, The State of Public Education in New Orleans: School Finances. This report is part of our State of Public Education in New Orleans series, which aims to provide journalists, policymakers, community leaders, and the public with information, context, and thoughtful analyses about specific topics related to K-12 education in New Orleans.

The operating environment for the K-12 public schools in New Orleans has stabilized significantly in the past few years. The amount of one-time revenue related to hurricane recovery, and consequently the amount of expenditures from this revenue, is decreasing. Student populations are beginning to stabilize and proportionately fewer schools are going through the expensive start-up phase. Overall, the financial condition of public schools in New Orleans is becoming more representative of how it will be in the coming years. Nonetheless, there continue to be challenges in gathering and analyzing financial data. Additionally, despite these difficulties, it is clear that the range of revenues and expenditures across schools is large.

In this publication, the Cowen Institute attempts to decipher the K-12 public education financial landscape in New Orleans. This paper describes the financial circumstances of public schools in New Orleans by providing a “bird’s eye” view of revenues and expenditures, and addresses the issues associated with a multi-district system of schools. As one-time federal funds are expended and philanthropic dollars are increasingly scarce, it is imperative that parents, educators, policymakers, and taxpayers understand how money is being spent to ensure the greatest return on investment.

Click here to download the report. Read the Times-Picayune coverage of our report here.

Cowen Institute Discusses School Funding on Louisiana Public Broadcasting

In last week’s episode of “Louisiana: The State We’re In,” Louisiana Public Broadcasting reporter Sue Lincoln explores the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) in Louisiana. The Cowen Institute's Policy Manager, Tara O’Neill, breaks down how the MFP works to fund Louisiana schools and undermines some common misconceptions about the formula. Watch the segment online here.

School Facilities Master Plan Update

Public meetings to discuss revisions to the School Facilities Master Plan (SFMP) will now likely be held in April or May, according to the Recovery School District (RSD). The meetings were previously going to be held in April. A final draft for amendments to the SFMP will then be released in June.

As part of the bi-annual review of the SFMP, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) and the RSD commissioned a demographic study to provide forecasts for public school enrollment in Orleans Parish. The OPSB and RSD are currently still in the process of reviewing the data, and a peer review committee is evaluating the current educational program requirements (such as building and classroom sizes) to develop recommendations for any needed changes.

The Public Affairs Research Council Shares Fact Sheets on Access to Public Records and Public Meetings in Louisiana

As part of a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information, the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR) has released fact sheets about the state’s sunshine laws with practical tips on how the public can request public records and participate in public meetings. Also included is a fact sheet about reapportionment and redistricting. PAR is providing the fact sheets to be distributed by citizen groups as reference tools. Click here for more information and to download the fact sheets.

Governor Jindal Proposes Increase in Funding for School Vouchers

In his budget plan released last week, Governor Bobby Jindal proposed a 15 percent increase in funding for the state’s school voucher program, which helps pay tuition for New Orleans students to attend a private school. The New Orleans voucher program, now in its fourth year, is available to students who live in Orleans Parish and whose families earn less than two-and-a-half times the poverty rate, or no more than $55,875 a year for a family of four. Applicants also must be planning to enter kindergarten or attend an elementary school the state considers as failing. Last year, about 2,000 eligible students applied for vouchers and 1,700 enrolled in the program. Read about the budget proposal in the Times-Picayune here.

Congress Approves Major Education Funding Cuts in Budget Extension

Following passage in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, President Obama signed into law last week a new stopgap federal spending bill that will keep federal agencies open for another three weeks. The previous stopgap measure was set to expire on Friday and included $4 billion in spending cuts, including nearly $160 million of cuts to over a dozen education programs. The new measure includes $6 billion in additional spending cuts, but none in the Department of Education. Congress now has until April 8 to work out a deal to finance the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, or else pass another stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown. The U.S. House of Representatives previously passed a spending bill for the fiscal year that would slash more than $5 billion from the U.S. Department of Education’s budget. Click here to read Education Week’s coverage of the budget negotiations.

Update on ESEA Reauthorization: Senator Landrieu Signs onto Statement of Principles, Obama Urges Congress to Take Action by Next September

A group of moderate U.S. Senate Democrats, including Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and led by Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), released on March 2, 2011, a set of principles for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind. The statement of principles is similar to the Obama administration’s blueprint, but is the first time that a group of lawmakers has come together with a proposal for revising the current version of the law.

At the press conference announcing the statement of principles, Senator Landrieu suggested that the transformation of the New Orleans school system could serve as a national model for education reform. Education Week has more information about the statement of principles, and Senator Landrieu’s statement is available on her website.

President Obama weighed in on the issue in a speech last week in which he called on Congress to overhaul ESEA by the start of next school year in September. He also reiterated his commitment to reject any budget cuts to education. Click here to read more about the President’s speech.