• Home /
• BoardBuzz

May 17, 2007

NSBA's Secretary-Treasurer Sonny Savoie poses with
celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse at the event in New
Orleans.NSBA joined the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB), its hotel community, and two other organizations that relocated their conventions to Chicago to present nearly $900,000 to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and the University of New Orleans’ Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration.

When NSBA relocated its 2006 conference to Chicago, the Chicago hotel community offered to raise money to assist its colleagues in New Orleans affected by the storm as well as to help in the efforts to rebuild the New Orleans tourism industry. The money was raised when the Chicago hotels agreed to set aside a portion of each hotel room night sold from the relocated conventions of NSBA and the two other organizations.

“NSBA remains committed to the national effort to help rebuild and revitalize New Orleans,” said Anne Bryant, NSBA’s executive director. “When the CCTB and hotels offered us this opportunity to relocate our conference as well as to give back to the New Orleans community, we were thrilled. Being able to support the renewal of the city is something we couldn’t pass up.”

Of the $900,000 dollars raised, a total of $447,800 will go to the University to fund 48 four-year scholarships. The check was presented at celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant, as he has been a constant supporter of the efforts to rebuild New Orleans.

Sonny Savoie, NSBA’s secretary-treasurer, who attended the event, noted, “As a resident of St. Charles Parish, so close to New Orleans, this gift from an organization that I represent to a city that I love, is especially touching. I’m proud that NSBA has made a commitment to the revival of this great city, and I hope that we’ll continue to support New Orleans as it recovers from Hurricane Katrina.”

The remaining balance of $447,800 was also presented to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity during a visit to Musicians Village. The funds will be used to build six homes for partner families from the hospitality industry that have been displaced by the storm. Construction on the homes is expected to begin within the next six months.

You can see additional photographs from this event by clicking here. For more of BoardBuzz's coverage of Hurricane Katrina, click here, here, here, here, and here.

Posted at 3:02 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

February 22, 2006

And plenty of it. A U.S. Department of Education site offers plenty of ways to do so. The site includes application info about hurricane recovery act programs, and ways for organizations and individuals to help directly, and to find out what schools need.

And the time is now. "Without a last-minute bailout by the federal government, South Mississippi schools will soon be forced to lay off hundreds of teachers and administrators," reports that state's Sun Herald newspaper. "The Bay-Waveland School District usually receives about $5 million from the city's annual tax revenue to help pay teachers, coaches, counselors and principals, and to buy textbooks.

"Katrina washed away about 85 percent of Bay St. Louis' taxable income, and Mayor Eddie Favre said the school district would only receive about 15 percent - or $750,000 - of its usual $5 million next year." And some Texas schools believe they are getting raw deals when it comes to Katrina funds.

Posted at 9:51 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

January 13, 2006

Important news from the U.S. Department of Education this week: the long-awaited relief funds for school districts that enrolled students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are now available. This is part of the $1.6 billion school relief package Congress passed in the waning days of 2005.

Congress appropriated $645 million for school districts (and private schools) that enrolled displaced students. The Department of Education has notified state departments of education, and provided guidance for how school districts, private schools and private school parents, and state departments are to apply for the funds. Go here for details. The DOE site also includes links to the Federal Register notice, sample applications that the states may wish to utilize for local school districts, and more.

School districts should note that their deadline to submit enrollment figures to their state departments is January 26th, and the states' deadline to submit applications to the U.S. Department of Education is February 2nd. Federal relief funds will be distributed quarterly for this school year. Noting the very tight deadlines, the Department of Education has indicated that enrollment counts submitted by the local districts and states for the first two quarters of the year (suggested as an October 1 and December 1 count date) may amend their initial figures later if they collect "satisfactory data" not available when they submit their initial application.

Posted at 11:58 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

November 8, 2005

The governor of Louisiana wants to take over the New Orleans schools. "State takeover of schools is not a new idea in Louisiana," reports Education Week. "Since last year, the state has already stripped the New Orleans district of control of five schools, which were then turned over to outside organizations to be run as charter schools. But the governor's plan would make it far easier to take such action by lowering the academic threshold for takeover." Charter schools are a big part of the governor's plan. School board members are listening and cooperating.

"While members of the School Board have chafed in the past at state efforts to interfere with their system, board President Torin Sanders did not sound a hostile note when asked about Blanco's proposal," reports the Times Picayune. "Instead, Sanders said that the governor should recognize that charters have also failed in the past and said the state should look at other methods of running schools."

Charters or no, what do you do when the homes of 40 of your school districts' teachers have been flattened?

Posted at 4:52 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

November 1, 2005

Cisco Systems is providing $40 million in cash, equipment, and services to rebuild hurricane-damaged schools along the Gulf Coast. The initiative will include wireless broadband "mesh networks" that extend school resources to entire towns, reports eWeek.com.

From Cisco's news site: "The mesh network wirelessly extends the educational and accountability resources of the school system across the community enabling unprecedented levels of collaboration, cooperation and learning for students, teachers and parents." eWeek.com provides the technical explanation: "In a wireless mesh, the network dynamically routes packets from node to node, so only one access point has to be connected directly to the wired network; the rest share a connection with one another over the air."

Also part of the Cisco effort: Comprehensive e-learning programs that focus on Internet technology skills. Read more here.

And: Forty-three school buildings in Michigan's Oakland County, a Detroit suburb, will soon have access to cheap high-speed wireless Internet, as part of a county-wide project.

Posted at 5:02 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The legacy of the hurricanes of '05 will continue to slam school districts that are planning construction.

Kansas schools are expecting costs to rise 20 percent because of reconstruction efforts in the Gulf Coast areas. Schools in New York State are cutting back because of issues that are affecting the construction industry as a whole: "Rising oil prices, some officials said, affect construction costs in two ways: Prices for petroleum-based products, such as roof insulation, are rising; and contractors also are adding 'fuel surcharges' to their bids to account for high costs associated with transporting materials," reports the Westchester Journal News.

Schools in Colorado are learning about shortages of concrete, steel, and other building materials. And: Where did all of the school construction money go in New Jersey? Read about it here.

Posted at 4:58 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 25, 2005

Is Wilma as bad as Florence or Jeanne or Katrina? Florida schools are seeking to answer this odd-sounding but necessary question this week, as they assess the affect of the latest in a string of big storms to directly blast through that state. Many schools on both coasts are shut down. Collier County, on the Gulf Coast, experienced its most powerful direct hit since 1960, inspiring the "Lucky no more" headline in today's Naples Daily News. Read more here.

Across the state, Atlantic coast schools were slammed as well. The area surrounding the Broward County schools administration building in Fort Lauderdale resembles "a war zone," reports the Miami Herald. All the 14-story building's windows are blown out, with "all manner of school district paperwork strewn around streets near the building." That county's public schools are closed the rest of the week, mainly due to power outtages, as damage is assessed. The school district was just getting around to gearing up its support for those affected by a previous hurricane.

As of this morning, six million Floridians are without power. Long term power outtages is a major reason for another debilitating and often very expensive condition impacting schools affected by hurricanes: mold. And now, schools in Northeastern Atlantic states are getting ready, such as this school district in Connecticut.

Posted at 11:53 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 24, 2005

Two weeks after we wrote this, little has changed. The Senate has not moved on substantive relief legislation for schools impacted by the recent hurricanes, bogged down by the insistence of some that vouchers, or similar payments to private schools, be included in any package. NSBA has said for two months that we oppose turning needed relief aid into a vehicle for creating the largest, costliest voucher plan in U.S. history. Here is our statement and letter on the latest proposal, S. 1904, put forward by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.).

NSBA has suggested lawmakers follow existing federal law, specifically the equitable participation component of Title I that provides private schools with educational services (but not the thorny issue of federal dollars), in order to provide private schools with hurricane relief. "By taking such action the Senate could overcome the current stalemate that has delayed the help that school districts, especially those in the Gulf Coast, desperately need, would ensure that all students impacted by the hurricanes continue to have access to the quality education they deserve, and that taxpayers have the clear accountability they deserve for how their dollars are spent," NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant said.

In the House, the chair of the education committee, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) has introduced H.R. 4097, which includes a private school voucher proposal tied to a hurricane relief package for public schools. Here is NSBA's letter on that bill.

Posted at 12:50 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

October 13, 2005

The school board at Louisiana's Ascension Parish Public Schools recognized 70 of its district's bus drivers this week for their efforts evacuating residents of the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina. Drivers carried more than 1,000 residents to safer and drier areas, after overcoming logistical and security challenges. "One even had a gun pulled on her," a school official told The Ascension Citizen. The school district's superintendent details here other examples of the district's reaching out to help. The Ascension Parish school district is also coming through in one other big way: About 1,500 students from hurricane-affected areas now attend Ascension schools.

Posted at 3:55 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 10, 2005

Relief legislation for schools and students impacted by Hurricane Katrina remains stalled. Though multiple bills have been introduced and proposals floated, nothing has moved very far, and Congress is on recess this week.

One reason for the delay appears to be the issue of private school vouchers. A bi-partisan bill put forward some time ago by Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) did not include vouchers. However, following the administration's suggestion that taxpayer dollars be sent to private schools in a relief package, the bi-partisan Senate bill has stalled. A new bill that may include vouchers or a similar payment plan to private and religious schools could be introduced when Congress returns next week. Several relief measures that do not include vouchers also have been introduced in the House.

NSBA is on record opposing vouchers as part of any relief legislation. The need to provide assistance to public schools that are educating hundreds of thousands of displaced students should not be derailed by efforts to create the nation's largest, costliest voucher program ever. Some have suggested that this would merely be a one-time aid program to private schools, but voucher advocates who began pushing the controversial approach shortly after the hurricane seem to have different motivations.

New efforts to divert potentially hundreds of millions in tax dollars to private schools is the wrong move, especially as recent Congressional action clearly points to a brewing battle over long-term funding cuts for public schools and programs for low-income students.

For more details on NSBA's views on relief efforts and our own recommendations, first put forward Sept. 2, go here.

Posted at 2:36 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

October 6, 2005

State school boards associations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have established hurricane relief efforts in their states. Read all about them here. NSBA's NewsStand continues to collect articles on hurricane issues related to schools. A couple of examples: A school in Alabama is aiding the effort to re-establish schools in Pass Christian, Miss. Three of that city's four schools, educating 2,000 students, were obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. And affects of the 2004 hurricanes together with a hot housing market in Florida are combining to increase the costs of building new schools there.

Also: Students are writing about their hurricane experiences and reactions. They need blogs! We recommend contacting her, him, or him. A very smart bunch who teach and use blogging in the classroom and out. "Out" meaning in such astonishing places as the principal's office. (And this book sounds like a must read when it comes out next year.)

Posted at 3:15 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 27, 2005

Good site here from the Centers for Disease Control about health-related hurricane information for schools. It says "Katrina" but the info is applicable to the hurricane of your choice. The site provides a link to immunization guidance for schools hosting displaced students. CDC's site for disaster mental health resources has important info as well.

And here is the U.S. Department of Education Hurricane Help for Schools site, which includes a link to the What Schools Need page, with each school in the affected areas having its own page to list specific needs.

Browsing through the list of schools and school districts reveals many tales. Galveston Independent School District in Texas reports that as of September 15, it was hunting for supplies to assist 440 students recently enrolled who were displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. This, of course, is before that entire city was emptied in advance of Hurricane Rita. That district and others also list needs such as clothing and personal care items. Plenty of high-ticket items such as computers and printers are needed by schools in flood-zone areas. The site lists e-mail addresses, U.S. mail addresses, and phone numbers for each school. Now is a great time to adopt one. And philanthropists of the world: Now is your moment to step up for schools.

Posted at 4:11 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

"Every day kids are not in school is a lost academic opportunity," Houston Independent School District spokesman Terry Abbott told the Houston Chronicle. "We're hurting kids if they don't get back to school." The Texas Education Agency has set up a Web site to track hurricane-related school news such as school closings and openings. And Texas educators pitched in to evacuate affected communities. Read about it here.

And a sobering sentence in an AP article here on the tragic bus fire that resulted in the deaths of 23 who were fleeing Houston: "The company had contracts with schools to drive students to athletic events but made most of its money driving seniors to gambling spots such as Las Vegas ... " The piece details a bus company riding on the legal edge. School districts across America who hire charter transportation take note.

Posted at 3:05 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

The checks are still in the mail for almost $4 million that the federal government and others owe South Florida's Broward School District for expenses connected to last year's hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, reports the Sun-Sentinel.

At least $2.3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been bogged down in micromanaging, minutia-laden paperwork, rolls of red tape and confusion, school officials said, even though those storms only grazed the county, the paper reports.

Posted at 9:00 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has informed state schools in jurisdictions not already evacuated to contact their local officials in order that they can provide shelter and transportation to those residents evacuating from Hurricane Rita. This comes on the heels of TEA establishing a website dedicated to provided resources to those Texas schools that have enrolled students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Posted at 10:50 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

It took two hurricanes, but the annual meeting of the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators, slated to start Friday at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, has been postponed until later this fall, reports the Houston Chronicle. Here is TASB's statement.

More than 10,000 participants had planned to discuss, among other topics, how to cope with the sudden influx of Louisiana students who fled Hurricane Katrina. The conference was almost canceled when the venue was used for housing displaced Gulf Coast residents.

Hundreds of Texas schools that opened their doors to Hurricane Katrina evacuees in the past month have decided to close their campuses for the remainder of the week to give Gulf Coast families time to evacuate as Hurricane Rita approaches, reports the Chronicle:

"More than a dozen districts south of Houston, including Galveston and Pasadena, opted to close until at least Monday. They're copying student records, boarding up windows and relocating buses in preparation."

And in Alabama, evacuees are still enrolling in that state's schools, and are having a "significant impact."

Posted at 3:05 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

While school districts in the Gulf states and their immediate neighbors are doing the heavy lifting in serving students displaced by Katrina, districts all over the country are welcoming new children. Good profile here of transitions into Washington, D.C. area schools. D.C. Superintendent Clifford B. Janey details his district's efforts in a Washington Post op-ed, here. Even Canadian school boards are helping.

The private sector is pitching in to help school districts meet the challenge, too. Hertz Furniture Systems has donated $60,000 worth of furniture to San Antonio Independent School District. Hertz CEO Mark Wagner says, "Although the public has heard about the generosity of the many school districts enrolling extra students, they may not be aware of the strain it will put on existing space and furniture."

Students themselves are helping out. Here's a story about a tractor trailer full of donations from school kids in Western New York. Sault Ste. Marie Area Public Schools in Michigan are organizing a big relief event.

The challenge of meeting the needs of traumatized students in Mississippi is a tough one. And Mississippi officials are visiting with the feds today to seek the help school districts so desperately need.

And today's big news from the feds? The winds are blowing vouchers.

Posted at 12:53 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 16, 2005

More info here on the back-and-forth between affected states and the feds over relief to schools in the form of desperately needed funding and release from federal red tape. And the New Orleans school district, already under restructuring, needs money to pay its teachers, according to both the superintendent and the private restructuring firm. Another legal issue being watched, according to the Wall Street Journal: Will the feds let school districts educate displaced students in separate facilities, or will this violate federal law against segregating homeless children? And check out the comment under our first September 15 item to see what else the feds apparently have in mind and what one Virginia school board member thinks about it. More on that next week. That "Comments" link under every BoardBuzz posting is for your use, dear readers.

Posted at 3:52 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

In a letter sent to Capitol Hill yesterday, NSBA strongly urged Congress to send disaster relief money directly to local school districts because state and local governments are already underfunded and cannot cover the necessary costs for the more than 370,000 relocated students. These costs include additional classroom space, teachers, counselors, textbooks, supplies, transportation and fuel expenses, special education services, healthcare costs, and other needs.

NSBA also pointed out this is the time that Congress should make good on its promise to fully fund special education, since at least 12 percent—or 44,000—displaced students may need special ed services not budgeted for by receiving districts. In addition, NSBA urged Congress to set up a special school construction fund as well as special designations for tax-exempt financing mechanisms to help districts with repair and reconstruction costs.

As NSBA top lobbyist Michael Resnick pointed out in the letter, "Clearly, more resources are needed beyond those provided in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Program." Congress is expected to work on developing a third disaster relief package shortly.

Posted at 11:16 AM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

September 13, 2005

The state school boards associations of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have established several programs to assist schools affected by Hurricane Katrina.

In Mississippi, donations can be made to that state's hurricane school relief fund. In addition, the association has set up an adopt-a-school program allowing schools to adopt or be adopted.

Alabama has also established an adopt-a-school program, and has devoted an area of the association's Web site to recovery information for school districts.

A trust fund has been created by the Louisiana association to accept financial donations for the schools in need of assistance. Contributions can be made by sending an e-mail here.

Kudos to the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama state schools board associations for their quick efforts to aid in the recovery and rebuilding of the region's schools.

Posted at 10:17 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The school board of Charlotte County, Florida, which had one-third of its schools destroyed by Hurricane Charley last year, has made itself available as a resource to Gulf region districts that are beginning the post-Katrina recovery process. A letter from the district and a list of specific contact names and number are available here.

Posted at 10:14 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

South Carolina has this message for displaced teachers in Louisiana and Mississippi: We want you. That state's department of education has announced it will venture south to recruit those educators. South Carolina needs about 400 math, science, and special education teachers. About 10,000 teachers are out of work in Mississippi and Louisiana. Here are more details.

Posted at 12:13 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Schools across the country are staying busy raising funds and organizing efforts to bring in needed supplies for hurricane relief. Here is a list of what schools in Cincinnati are up to.

Posted at 12:21 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 8, 2005

The Texas Association of School Boards reports to BoardBuzz:

In what may be the first trace of normalcy, students displaced by Hurricane Katrina are enrolling in schools across Texas. The generosity of Houston has garnered national attention, however, districts everywhere in the state are reaching out to help with fund-raisers, donations of clothes and school supplies, and volunteer work at area shelters.

Officials have estimated 50,000 to 60,000 displaced students will enroll in Texas schools in the aftermath of the disaster. Almost 19,000 displaced children have already started school. District officials are visiting evacuation centers to help with enrollments, setting up school tours for parents and students, and providing school clothes and supplies. Individual campuses are collecting food, money, and care packages. School administrators are scrambling to figure out where to accommodate hundreds of new students, who will teach them, and how they will get to school.

In Houston, the district has registered more than 1,000 children and more are being processed at the Astrodome. The district has reopened two closed elementary schools that can hold up to 1,350 children, and many more students will be attending schools throughout the district.

The Texas Education Agency (state department of education) has set up a toll-free hotline (800-957-5109) number and posted information on the Agency's web site (www.tea.state.tx.us) to orchestrate offers of help and districts in need. TEA has promised to release money immediately to help affected districts cope. The federal government is sending $250,000 apiece to six Texas regional education service centers in various parts of the state.

"Texans have extended their hearts and hands to people impacted by Katrina and school districts across Texas are welcoming displaced students and their families. It is heartening to watch Texas educators rise to the challenges with such professional grace and personal generosity," said Karen Strong, TASB associate executive director.

Posted at 2:29 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings yesterday met with national education groups, including NSBA, to discuss the department's relief response and impact on schools and students, and coordination among groups that are implementing relief efforts. The key points:

1. The Department of Education has created a Web site, Hurricane Help for Schools, to encourage schools to post supply needs and organizations to post items they can donate. Contact information is provided so schools and organizations can directly connect.

2. Regarding funding, the department plans to work with affected states and districts that want to transfer or reallocate funds—across districts. "This could include the transfer of funds to districts in other States that are serving displaced students," writes Spellings. The department also will work with the Office of Management and Budget as further supplemental relief efforts are made.

3. Regarding NCLB, the department says it will "consider promptly" requests for waivers from those affected. Spellings also indicated Adequate Yearly Progress reporting requirements may be relaxed—but no details as to what that may precisely mean. The department did note it will be flexible on highly qualified teacher requirements, particularly where displaced teachers have begun working in new states. This makes sense considering the different certification standards across states.

4. The department is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to determine immunization needs of displaced students. In recent days, we've seen countless stories of school districts helping to get students back in class by waiving enrollment rules regarding immunization records.

5. Spellings is dispatching Assistant Secretary Henry Johnson, the former Mississippi state superintendent, to the region to determine ongoing needs.

This letter provides more details.

As BoardBuzz noted yesterday, NSBA already has made several general recommendations for Congress to consider regarding schools' needs.

Posted at 11:47 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Texas Commissioner of State Health Services, said this week that students displaced by Hurricane Katrina enrolling in Texas schools pose no increased health risk to Texas students. In a statement, he addressed those concerns and said schools are safe:

Sanchez said some Texas parents have expressed concerns about health risks to their own children from the incoming students' exposure to floodwater and their vaccination status. He called the concerns "understandable but unfounded."

"Many of these kids were not exposed to floodwater," Sanchez said. "And those who were exposed are being evaluated in the various shelters for types of exposure and monitored for illness symptoms and are getting treatment if they need it. Standard practice says any child, not just evacuees, who's sick should not be sent to school."

Posted at 11:45 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 7, 2005

Two big-picture stories today from Sam Dillon in the New York Times and Steve Wieberg and Greg Toppo in USA TODAY on Katrina's impact on schools and students. Historians say America's public schools have not faced challenges this great since the Civil War. "In terms of school systems absorbing kids whose lives and homes have been shattered, what we're going to watch over the next weeks is unprecedented in American education," said Jeffrey Mirel, a professor of history and education at the University of Michigan.

Estimates on the number of students displaced by the storm range from well over 200,000, according to the Times, to closer to 300,000 by USA TODAY.

Houston Public Schools are enrolling many of those students. School board member Kevin Hoffman said Houston, Texas' largest school district, can handle the influx. "This is a Herculean effort," he said. "But it's one of the types of things that just falls on your lap and you deal with it."

Speaking of Houston Public Schools, their Web site has much hurricane-related information for parents, students, teachers, and anyone willing to help.

Posted at 9:56 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

As Congress returns this week to a full agenda, relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina is front and center. Last week NSBA sent this letter to every member of Congress to put them on notice of some things they will need to be thinking about in providing immediate and longer term relief for hurricane-impacted school districts. NSBA top lobbyist Michael A. Resnick explains that since the situation is still developing, the idea was to give Congress a "heads-up" rather than offer a comprehensive proposal. Among the issues addressed: The need to move now on capital needs, since it typically takes about 18 months to complete a school building after funding is in place; short-term and long-term operational funding considerations, especially given what has happened to both the local property tax base and state revenues in affected areas; and the impact of gasoline shortages. Resnick reports that the letter already has prompted some Congressional response. Stay tuned.

Posted at 9:00 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 6, 2005

Sue Huhn, a school board member in Wisconsin, alerts BoardBuzz to the efforts of enrolling displaced students in school districts in her state. Details here. The state schools superintendent has sent out a guidance letter to local school districts instructing them to immediately enroll the students and to count them for state aid.

Tell us more about how your state education system is responding by clicking here.

Posted at 2:05 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The Texas Education Agency is developing a database to link educators to areas with education needs. It is anticipated that administrators, teachers, teaching assistants, therapists, counselors, and diagnosticians will all be needed. Those available to help in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana can e-mail texasteachers@tea.state.tx.us.

Posted at 11:57 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 5, 2005

Linda Buford-Burks, Mississippi School Boards Association director of communications, tells BoardBuzz that MSBA Executive Director Michael Waldrop is working closely with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to help school leaders get up and running again as soon as possible. "In addition, MSBA is advising districts regarding the procedures for insurance claims, the purchases of emergency items, and other matters of concern to board members in our state at this time," she says. "We're also looking at collaborating with various entities to make needed supplies and services available for coast schools."

MDE will provide a detailed numbers update on Tuesday, Buford-Burks reports, but the situation in that state at last count: 160,000 students in 44 schools districts attending 271 schools have been directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. But every single school district in the state will be affected somehow, wrote Hank Bounds, state education superintendent, in a memo to local superintendents.

MDE is forming damage assessment and recovery teams that will be able to visit districts, to provide whatever assistance is needed, if requested by local superintendents.

The USDA has already issued a memo on the Food and Nutrition Services policy for the feeding of school children in areas recently devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Schools will be allowed to serve all meals free to attending children through September 30.

Posted at 11:30 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has opened a hotline for hurricane Katrina-related questions. The toll-free number, 1-800-957-5109, is for educators as well as parents. The line will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (CST). Superintendents are invited to post this number on their school district Web sites as well.

On Tuesday, September 6, TEA will post on its Web site a toll-free number for Louisiana teachers who are seeking employment in Texas schools. This toll-free number will also be staffed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please check the TEA Web site for details and updates.

The Texas Education Agency estimates that as of the Labor Day weekend, 6,100 students displaced by the hurricane have enrolled in Texas public schools. If you would like to donate school supplies for evacuees, e-mail schoolsupplies@tea.state.tx.us for information.

Posted at 11:21 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 4, 2005

Both the Louisiana and Mississippi departments of education Web sites are full of continuing updates on the hurricane's impact on schools, with key information for parents, students, and employees.

Louisiana's site is here and Mississippi's is here.

Posted at 10:13 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 3, 2005

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Education continue working around the clock to assist students, parents and teachers find new schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Their emergency call center is logging a thousand calls a day and remains open this weekend and on Labor Day. They've also received more than 600 offers of help from around the country.

"I thank those local districts that have already enrolled our displaced students and commend their efforts to continue locating these children so they can soon be assigned to a classroom," said State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard. "I will do whatever I need to do to ensure that that Katrina's kids can remain in Louisiana schools being taught by Louisiana educators. They need and deserve that stability," Picard said.

As for the 600 assistance offers, the department has created a database to manage them and determine how best they can be used. Said Picard: "I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and neighbors across the nation. We want them to know how much we appreciate their offers of help and that we will be calling on them in the near future so they can assist the children of Louisiana."

Full statement can be found here.

Posted at 4:22 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has ordered all statewide school districts not affected by the hurricane to submit an inventory of buses and drivers to assist in the continued evacuation of victims from affected areas. The governor ordered all school superintendents to work with local law enforcement to provide at least one peace officer to ride in each bus and two marked patrol cars to accompany every 10 buses. More details here.

Posted at 3:58 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The American Federation of Teachers is setting up a toll-free number that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers will update so that members can receive information about their jobs, benefits, and services that the union will provide, reports AFT public affairs rep Janet Bass. "We also are attempting to contact representatives in Mississippi and Alabama for their information. The United Teachers of New Orleans will also have a bulletin board on their website to help people locate members and to provide other pertinent information."

Bass says that the AFT plans to set up "labor centers" in various places in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to help members with information and to help fulfill their immediate clothing and other emergency needs. Contributions from the AFT Disaster Relief Fund likely will be used for this effort.

"The Texas Federation of Teachers is working with AFT's Louisiana's leadership and assisting in finding housing for members left homeless by the hurricane," Bass says. "They also are working with officials to find classroom space for children who have lost their homes and schools and working to help displaced teachers find jobs in Texas. Also, many New Orleans students and teachers and their families have relocated to East Baton Rouge and other parishes throughout Louisiana."

The National Education Association has also established a hurricane disaster relief fund to provide members, leaders, and staff with the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. For more information, check out its web page dedicated to Hurricane Katrina coverage.

Posted at 12:01 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

One in every five Louisiana public school students may be displaced as a result of the hurricane, according to Louisiana's school superintendent. The New York Times reports here on Texas' open arms for refugee students. Gov. Rick Perry: "I want those stranded families to know that the doors of Texas public schools are going to be immediately open to their school-age children." Texas Education Agency statement is here (pdf).

Louisiana Superintendent Cecil Picard also is urging his state's unaffected schools to do the same. He has also encouraged displaced educators to apply for teaching positions in the areas where they have taken up temporary residence. Now staying near Shreveport, Annie Susan Jones of New Orleans told USA Today that since she won't be back in New Orleans any time soon, she plans on "going to the school board office to see if I can substitute teach."

Posted at 11:23 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 2, 2005

NSBA's Legal Clips e-newsletter reports that states, school districts, and school lawyers are going all out to serve students displaced by the hurricane. Here's the write-up. As it explains, students made homeless by a natural disaster have legal rights under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, but it appears many education folks aren't waiting for legal mandates or federal guidance.

This afternoon NSBA issued a statement that urges school districts to open their doors. Here's the full text:

"Of the many tragedies our country is facing as a result of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most enduring may be the impact on children deprived of their educational opportunities. Numerous state and local education agencies across the country have generously opened their doors to displaced students. To ensure that displaced children have continuous access to educational services, the National School Boards Association urges school districts throughout the country to welcome all hurricane-displaced students. NSBA reminds districts that accepting these students is required under law even where proof of residency, vaccination records, education records from previous districts, and other documentation are not readily available. For more details on the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, please read the U.S. Department of Education informational guide to the Act."

Posted at 3:53 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

"The schools devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and those trying to help them, will be given leeway in complying with a federal law that aims to raise education standards," the Associated Press reports.

The same story includes this sobering assessment of coastal Mississippi schools: "Henry Johnson, the assistant secretary over elementary and secondary education, is a former state school superintendent in Mississippi. He said that in five or six coastal counties in that state, half the schools have been leveled. The other half, he said, are so damaged that it is unclear whether they can be used this year."

UPDATE: More on this from USA TODAY indicates that the U.S. Department of Education will allow teachers to cross state lines to teach in schools accepting students from hurricane-affected areas. "You can be assured that the red tape will be put in the drawer," the deputy education secretary, Ray Simon, said.

The story also quotes Alabama Association of School Boards' spokesperson Susan Salter on the importance of helping children get back into anything resembling normalcy by enrolling them in school. "We learned with Hurricane Ivan that one of the most important things is to get these children back in a routine as quickly as possible," Salter said.

Posted at 3:39 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

State departments of education and school districts around the country are pitching in to assist students displaced by Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

From South Carolina to Maryland to Arizona, the story is the same.

The Washington Post reports on school districts as far away as Maryland and Virginia having to enroll affected students: "Federal law allows schools to put homeless students into classes without normal documentation, letting school officials figure out the details afterward," the Post reports. "In Alexandria, (Va.), educators said they would administer placement tests so refugee students could be put in the right courses even without academic records."

From the Rock Hill Herald in South Carolina: "This is not about what the state is required to do," said Jim Foster, spokesman for the Education Department. "This is about just doing the right thing."

From the Arizona Republic, more still.

UPDATE: The Michigan Department of Education today is asking the state's school districts for their assistance in gathering information on their available assets and resources for potentially housing evacuee families from the hurricane ravaged communities and/or to take in their students so they can continue their education. They've listed 4 questions for school districts to respond to.

Posted at 2:33 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Susan Salter of the Alabama Association of School Boards tells BoardBuzz that gasoline is already in short supply in that state:

"We've seen gas prices jump around the state by 40 cents or more in the last 48 hours, and there are growing concerns about rationing because stations are running out of gas," Salter says. "The shortages are not limited to the coastal areas. Here in Montgomery, supplies are dwindling and there's precious little information available about whether that's because people are stocking up or because the supply has been interrupted. Most school systems should have reserves, but it's unclear how long they might have to tap into them."

How to properly accomodate students arriving from hurricane-ravaged areas in nearby states is a complicated issue as well, she says.

"One concern we've heard about the children coming in from Mississippi and Louisiana relates to the potential health problems they might have when they arrive. The children whose families evacuated pre-Katrina should be fine. But those who stayed in the coastal areas and have spent days in unsanitary conditions could arrive here with health problems.

"Our schools will, of course, help them in any way they can. But we have precious few school nurses who could help. School systems may have to work with local health departments or other groups to be sure the children get the treatment they need."

UPDATE: "Just heard they're rationing gas in Decatur (in north Alabama)," Salter says. "Folks are limited to eight gallons each ... I just learned that the Baldwin County schools (Gulf Shores) did not reopen (Thursday). Apparently they had diesel fuel for the buses but the widespread shortages of gasoline cast serious doubts on parents' and employees' ability to get to school over the next few days."

Posted at 11:30 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

The outpouring of concern has started on education's front lines. Video clips from WWL-TV in New Orleans are showing school buses sitting in transportation lots in water up to their roofs. The National School Transportation Association has received several calls from its members who are willing to donate school buses to the afflicted school districts in the Gulf Coast. If your school district's school buses were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, please contact Ann Henley at NSTA by e-mailing her at ahenley@yellowbuses.org or calling 800-222-6782.

Know of other school relief efforts under way? Send 'em along and we'll post right here.

Posted at 11:15 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 1, 2005

There are precious few stories out there about how the K-12 universe is holding up within the Hurricane Katrina-affected area. There is this from a good piece on EducationWeek.com:

Locally, districts as far away as Shreveport—350 miles northwest of New Orleans—have started enrolling children who evacuated the New Orleans area, according to local officials and newspaper reports. The Lafayette Parish School System started enrolling children of evacuees today. The 30,000-student district about 130 miles east of New Orleans plans to have all new enrollees placed in schools by next week, said Justine W. Sutley, a spokeswoman for the district.

Posted at 10:16 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

Alabama's state department of education has directed its schools across the state to open their doors to all hurricane-displaced students. According to yesterday's memo from Joseph B. Morton, Alabama's superintendent of education, the latest estimate is that 35,000 Mississippi students have no school to attend because their buildings are too severely damaged to reopen or they are simply gone. More from his statement here:

I am waiving usual and customary requirements for students who transfer into Alabama's public schools from other states, systems within the state, or home schooled/private school students in or from outside Alabama due to circumstances caused by Hurricane Katrina. Many of the people escaped with literally the clothes on their backs and have no humanly way possible to produce birth certificates, immunization records, school records, information for qualifying for the Child Nutrition Program, etc. Additionally, you may be approached by displaced teachers and other school employees seeking employment. Again, we can work out details in the weeks and months ahead. Now is the time to come to the aid of our neighbors.

Here is the full statement in pdf.

Posted at 10:08 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

August 29, 2005

New Orleans public schools are facing a list of serious issues already, but Hurricane Katrina could turn into a once-in-a-century challenge for all school districts in its path. The hurricane killed seven on its way through Florida. One prediction suggests the possibility of 1 million people left homeless. These websites seemed to have good local info:

Louisiana: New Orleans Times Picayune; City of New Orleans; Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Mississippi: Biloxi Sun Herald; Biloxi Public Schools; Mississippi Emergency Management.

Alabama: Mobile Register; Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

Also: Weather Channel and WeatherBlog.

Posted at 8:27 AM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

• BoardBuzz
• Annual Conference
• T+L Conference
• The Leading Source

• Straight Talk on Tobacco
• The Tipping Point on School Vouchers
• Online Discussions Archive

•  Search BoardBuzz:
     

• Make Us Your Homepage
• Bookmark BoardBuzz
• View Recent Comments

• BoardBuzz Feed
• 
• Anne-a-Grams Feed
• 
• 
• 
• 
• Add to Google Toolbar
• Get Updates via E-mail
• What's RSS?

• Submit Feedback
• Suggest Story Idea
• Advertise