Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Today Louisiana Department of Education officials released a new report outlining the progress of school districts across the state in their efforts to reopen.
Last week, 18 school districts, which account for about 19 percent of the state’s total public school student population, had resumed their 2008-2009 school year in full operation. When school bells ring tomorrow morning, Sept. 8, one week to the day after Hurricane Gustav made landfall on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, 73 percent of the state’s public school students will be back in school in 59 local school districts across the state. Education officials report by Friday, Sept. 12, those numbers will climb to 64 districts and 87 percent of the state’s public school student population. By Monday, Sept. 15, education leaders say they hope to see 100 percent of Louisiana’s public school children back in school and learning. However, if utility companies are unable to resolve electrical power failures at schools in six school districts, the Sept. 15 date will be compromised.
“BESE Board President Linda Johnson and I have spent the last few days on the ground visiting nine of the most heavily impacted parishes and we’ll continue to reach out to local school districts and their school communities to explore how the Department of Education can help them return to their way of life,” said State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek. “Our goal is to have everybody in class no later than September 15, and considering the determination and progress that superintendents have made all over this state, which we have seen and heard about over the last several days, we’re confident that we can make that happen provided we get power to those six parishes that were severely damaged. Power is a critical problem. We appreciate that power service providers are dealing with extensive damage especially in the six questionable districts, but delay deprives our children of an education.”
Department officials note the remarkable progress made by local Superintendents and School Boards, in spite of the lack or power. They say they will work in partnership with districts to offer additional support and resources.
“The Department’s experience and the experience of some of our school districts with these types of events have equipped us with the expertise to assist districts with issues related to FEMA reimbursements and facility solutions, and there are good examples of school communities that were able to overcome tremendous obstacles after Katrina and Rita. We will be relying on those models and people to help guide local districts and schools who need our support.”
State officials said the types of challenges districts face vary but there are some common issues.
“In addition to power shortages, school districts are working to overcome multiple challenges,” continued Pastorek. “Some schools are working to replace food that spoiled in their cafeteria refrigerators, some have lost documents to water damage and most are trying to identify where they are going to get the financial resources to make repairs to their buildings. Trees are blocking a lot of the roads in some of the communities we visited, which creates a challenge for districts in their ability to transport students. Some parishes are still under a boil order, and the local districts don’t have enough bottled water on hand to fully operate their schools. Some offices and schools were severely damaged requiring the temporary or permanent relocation of facilities and some schools are still housing evacuees or emergency support personnel.
“But no matter what their situations are, the overwhelming message we’ve heard in communities across the state is that the best thing we can do for our children and families, especially those living in challenging circumstances at home due to the storm, is to get students back in school. When we put children back in school, for at least eight hours a day administrators and teachers can ensure our students have nutritious meals, are housed in a suitable facility, have access to counseling and other similar services, and experience success in school, which gives children a sense of stability and belonging, things that are crucial to their quality of life.”
The greatest challenges for school districts remain in the southeast, south central and central part of the state, and while most districts sustained only minimal damage to buildings, there are some areas that will require substantial support. Specifically, the schools in Iberville, Pointe Coupee, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption and East Baton Rouge appear to have significant difficulties. But educational officials expressed their praise and gratitude for the competency, teamwork and dedication of community leaders, local education leaders, school leaders, teachers, parents and volunteers who have rallied around their schools.
“We saw and heard remarkable stories of citizens who began checking schools for damages within minutes of the storm’s passing, principals and teachers who have worked around the clock to relocate facilities and classrooms to other locations so that they could resume operations, volunteers who were removing debris, mopping up water damage, re-constructing school playgrounds and even students cleaning up their campuses,” said Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Linda Johnson. “Our prior experience with Katrina and Rita demonstrated that even in the most devastated communities, schools can actually serve as the catalyst for re-invigorating the life and spirit of a community.”
Pastorek reinforced Johnson’s appreciation for the progress that has been made.
“We want to thank school and community leaders and volunteers across the state for their overwhelming support of their school communities,” Pastorek said. “Louisiana has demonstrated that despite our current situation which is challenging and requires us to focus on sustaining our immediate needs for power, water, food and other quality of life resources, we are willing to stretch ourselves to focus on our future, which is our children and in large part their education. It’s inspiring to us as a Department to see that our state doesn’t just talk about education being one of our greatest priorities, we’ve managed to support it even during this difficult time.”
For information on school district closures, please visit the Department of Education Web site at http://www.louisianaschools.net/ or refer to the attached list of updated closures.
DISTRICT CLOSINGS AS OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
