NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 29, 2020) – It is with great sadness that NOLA Public Schools mourns the passing of the longest-tenured superintendent of Orleans Parish Schools, Dr. Gene Alvin Geisert.
“My deepest condolences to Dr. Geisert’s loved ones and friends. We are forever grateful for his commitment to serve students, schools and families across our city throughout his time as superintendent,” says NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. Although he is gone, so much of his work still continues positively impact students in New Orleans. A great school system is built upon the tireless, steadfast work of leaders like Dr. Geisert and without him, the district would not be where it is today. He has been a role model for New Orleans educators, as well as myself, and will be greatly missed.”
Dr. Gene Alvin Geisert, the longest-tenured superintendent of Orleans Parish Schools, has passed away at the age of 92. Born July 22, 1927, in Toledo, Ohio, Dr. Geisert served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War and graduated from the University of Toledo. He soon received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and became an educator. He taught biology, served as an elementary and junior high school principal and finally served as superintendent of public schools in Alpena, Michigan. Following his work as superintendent, he moved to Wilmington, Delaware where he helped improve and desegregate its public schools. Afterwards, he moved to New Orleans where he desegregated the schools and strengthened Orleans Parish’s teacher pipeline by recruiting teachers from across the country.
Throughout Dr. Geisert’s tenure, he helped lead the effort to offer more magnet schools throughout Orleans Parish. In 1973, he played a major role in developing the renowned New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), a regional high school which specializes in pre-professional arts training. After his work as superintendent, he then served as chair of the Doctoral Division in the Department of Education for St. John’s University in Queens, New York for 30 years. In 2011, he returned to New Orleans where he remained for the rest of his life and served as a volunteer at the National World War II Museum.
About NOLA Public Schools
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NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com.
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NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 29, 2020) – At the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) board business meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16, the board unanimously elected OPSB District 2 Representative Ethan Ashley to serve as president, and District 6 Representative Woody Koppel as vice president. The OPSB conducts the election at its first meeting in January of each year.
Together, Ashley and Koppel will lead the OPSB’s 2020 board business meetings, which are set to take place on the following dates at 5:30 p.m. :
• Feb. 11
• March 19
• April 23
• May 14
• June 11
• July 30
• Aug. 20
• Sept. 17
• Oct. 22
• Nov. 19
• Dec. 17
Ethan Ashley, originally from Compton, CA, obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in political science and Juris Doctorate from Howard University in Washington, D.C. To continue improving his skills to positively impact the students of New Orleans, Ashley received his certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University last fall. Currently, Ashley is the Co-Founder and Partner of School Board Partners, a nonprofit that connects emerging, inspired elected community leaders serving on local school boards with the training, support and mentorship needed to successfully create high quality school systems.
In regards to service, Ashley serves as the Program Chair of the NORD Commission and board member for Bard Early College New Orleans, a rigorous, credit-bearing, tuition-free college course program in the liberal arts and sciences available to junior and senior level students. Ashley is also a board member of the Boy Scouts of America Southeast Louisiana Council, the National Juvenile Justice Network and the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. As a cancer survivor, Ashley proudly serves as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Chairman; he is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc. and funds and runs his own scholarship program for college bound public school students living in District 2.
Woody Koppel, a native New Orleanian, attended Henry Allen, Jean Gordon, De La Salle and the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts. Koppel has been a member of the OPSB since 2012. A successful businessperson, Koppel was an award-winning teacher at James Lewis Elementary. He has travelled as far as the Anna Freud Centre in England to learn strategies for teaching at-risk youth. Koppel is married and has two daughters and a son.
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About NOLA Public Schools
NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com.
NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 24, 2020) – On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) notified Joseph A. Craig Charter School faculty, staff and families, of the siting of Joseph A. Craig to Homer A. Plessy Community School. Homer A. Plessy Community will be responsible for the school’s operation and management beginning on July 1, 2020. The school serves Pre-K4 through 8th grade and is currently located in the French Quarter area in the McDonogh 15 building. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, Homer A. Plessy will be located on both the Craig and McDonogh 15 campuses.
“In December it was determined that new leadership was needed to serve the students and families of the Joseph A. Craig school,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “Of the two eligible school operators that applied to manage the school, Homer A. Plessy was best suited to meet the needs of its students. We will continue to support and engage with all of the school’s faculty, staff, families and community members throughout the 2019-2020 school year as well as throughout its transition.”
In November of 2019, NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. recommended to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) that the charter contract with Friends of King not be renewed due to its failure to meet renewal standards for the school per district policy. NOLA-PS has spent the past several months conducting an open siting process to determine a new operator for Joseph A. Craig beginning in the 2020-21 school year. There were two eligible operators that applied to operate Joseph A. Craig. These applicants submitted required information to NOLA-PS. In early January, the district held engagement sessions for families, students, and staff to learn more about the two interested operators.
In considering the applicants’ required submissions, feedback provided at engagement events, and portfolio analysis, NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis has approved the siting of Joseph A. Craig to Homer A. Plessy Community School.
NOLA Public Schools will work closely with Joseph A. Craig and Homer A. Plessy throughout this year to ensure a smooth transition of management of the school.
ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.###
NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 28, 2020) – NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) joined over 50 community members and representatives from local businesses and non-profits in an effort to highlight the need for a community response to truancy and chronic absenteeism issues within the City of New Orleans.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, NOLA-PS hosted a breakfast with city leaders and members of the business community to discuss tactics on how to address these issues. During the breakfast, participants signed letters of commitment to join in the initiative as well as shape its future.
Those in attendance include Orleans Parish School Board President Ethan Ashley and school board members Leslie Ellison and John A. Brown, Sr.; Mary Garton, Assistant Superintendent, NOLA Public Schools; New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson; Emily Wolff, Director of the Office of Youth and Families for the City of New Orleans; Dr. Jennifer Avegno, Director of the Health Department for the City of New Orleans; Larry Barabino, CEO of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission; Greg Tillery, Founder and Owner of We Dat Chicken & Shrimp; Brandon Mercadel, also known Fatt da Barber and owner of House of Shades Barber Shop; Troy Duhon, Founder and Owner of Premier Automotive which donates a new car to one Orleans Parish public school student with perfect attendance every year; and Nahliah Webber, Executive Director of Orleans Public Education Network (OPEN).
Brandon Mercadel, also known Fatt da Barber, and Donyette Love, LCSW-BACS, were presented with Attendance Advocate Awards for their tremendous efforts to support students in their daily attendance. For several years, Mr. Mercadel has offered free back to school haircuts to hundreds of youth across the city. Ms. Love champions the cause of daily school attendance in her role as a social worker at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary, finding creative ways to weave the importance of school attendance into the school’s culture.
“NOLA-PS and our community partners are working together to address chronic absenteeism across our city. Ensuring every child attends school every day must be a priority, and as the saying goes, it takes a village. We are that village,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “Together, we can help address absenteeism and help set our children up for life-long success.”
Each year, about 25 percent of students in Orleans Parish public schools are chronically absent, hindering student achievement and thereby impacting educational and economic outcomes for our students. Although school attendance challenges can be attributed to many factors, those challenges are not always understood by the wider public.
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ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 17, 2020) – On Thursday, January 16, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) voted to approve NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.’s proposal for the Systemwide Needs Program (SWNP). The program will invest roughly $9 million over the next three years to help better address and fund teacher training and mentoring while also providing increased mental health and behavioral support for students who have been impacted by trauma.
“Quality, talented teachers have the inherent ability to open our students’ eyes and minds to new opportunities and prepare them to achieve their educational dreams,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “These funds will allow us to invest in two critical areas that support our schools: our teacher workforce as well as behavioral and mental health supports for our students. We believe that this program will help us attract, continually develop, and retain teachers from diverse backgrounds, especially those with local roots, and better equip our schools to support students impacted by trauma. In tandem, these efforts will help our children flourish.”
In the spring of 2019 through an act of the Louisiana State Legislature, the SWNP was established to support initiatives that will result in districtwide improvements. In response, the Superintendent developed the plan that will support the recruitment of teachers from diverse backgrounds.
Last night, OPSB Board Members approved the plan, which was created with input from multiple parties including teacher, student and parent advisory councils, and informed by ongoing engagement and communication with community partners. NOLA-PS has identified teacher talent and specialized student programming and support as the two focus areas for investment. Execution of the program will include:
• Teacher Talent:
o To grow, diversify, and sustain the teacher pipeline, the plan will:
incentivize undergraduates from local university programs to conduct teacher residencies in NOLA Public Schools,
support local programs designed to recruit teachers to teach in NOLA-PS,
incentivize current teachers to attain certification in high-needs areas and National Board Certification,
secure the recruitment and training for new teachers through existing pipeline programs.
oTo help support this focus, SWMP will provide stipends for student teachers, tuition incentives for current teachers seeking certification, and innovative pipeline grants focused on training and recruiting local college students.
o In an effort to sustain the current teacher pipeline, the program will support the training and recruitment of 220 teachers, with an increased focus on cultural competence.
o To ensure new teacher success and promote teacher retention, citywide training and support will be offered to train and mentor teachers.
•Specialized Student Programming and Supports:
o To increase students’ access to mental and behavioral support, resources will be devoted to sustaining and growing restorative programming for middle school students.
o SWNP would fund professional development opportunities for school staff and social workers dedicated to addressing the topic of mental and behavioral support for students in schools.
o Training will also be offered to school-based staff on therapeutic crisis management to better equip them to support students across a continuum of needs, inclusive of trauma and those in crisis.
Funds will be allocated through a competitive process, as state and local policy dictates, and recipients awarded funds must demonstrate that at least twenty-five percent of the funds it will expend to achieve its proposal are from sources other than SWNP.
ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.
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