NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans public school district walked back an announcement that the Homer Plessy School's French Quarter campus would be moved. District leaders say they want to seek more public opinion and gather more data before making a final decision.
The campus is at the corner of Royal and St. Phillip Streets. Homer Plessy School took over the building from McDonogh 15 in 2017.
Last Thursday, Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams sent a letter to Plessy school leaders. It said the Quarter building, "does not meet the standards," of the District for many reasons, including a lack of ADA accommodations.
The letter also informed the school that it would be relocated to McKenna Elementary School in the 7th Ward. According to the letter, K-12 enrollment in New Orleans is declining at an "unprecedented" rate, and changes are being considered all over the district to use resources efficiently. Dr. WIlliams said repairing the French Quarter building would cost around $18 million.
The decision drew swift backlash. The Homer Plessy School's French Quarter campus is the last remaining school in the Quarter. If it moves, the neighborhood will be without a single school for the first time since the 1720s.
The following Wednesday, Dr. Williams told the school the planned move was on hold.
In an interview with WWL-TV, Dr. Williams said the decision to relocate was part of "being good stewards of taxpayer dollars" and that "environment matters" for students' education. She acknowledged that the announcement came abruptly for those in the community, saying "she could have communicated the intentions better from the beginning."
Homer Plessy School CEO Meghan Raychaudhuri agrees that the building needs serious work, and said at the same time administrators would be, "sad at what it would mean to leave."
She described the advantages the students have in the French Quarter, including weekly walks to Cabrini Park and other field trips. "I think today our art class is going to be outside sketching the architecture," she added. Raychaudhuri also explained the community's attachment to Homer Plessy.
"People talk about how they love to see the children out in the French Quarter," she said, "residents and businesses talk about how it’s a vital part of ensuring that the Quarter maintains its neighborhood feel."
Peter Schamp, whose children are in Kindergarten and 2nd grade, chose the school in part because of the location. He said he would probably stick with Homer Plessy for at least another year if it moved. After that, he would be uncertain, saying the school "would lose something" not being in the Quarter.
That could be a reality eventually. Dr. Williams acknowledges repairing the school, rather than moving the campus, may be unrealistic. She said she doesn't "see us investing it because we don't have the 18 million for that purpose."