NEW ORLEANS — NOLA Public Schools is now weighing the fate of Martin Luther King K-12 Charter School in the Lower Ninth Ward.
It reopened in 2007, as a sign of rebirth and hope in a part of the city that flooded under 20 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina.
Rev. Willie Calhoun, pastor of the Fairview Mission Baptist Church is a lifelong resident and community leader in the Lower 9.
If our community is to grow, you have to at some point stabilize. Stabilization pieces are the church, the school and the family,” Calhoun said.
The only public school in this part of town at Fats Domino and Claiborne Avenues could soon close.
Recently, MLK Charter dropped to an F in the state rating system with low academic marks and dwindling enrollment.
Friends of King School, board attorney Willie Zanders says the school also has the largest student nursing program in the state, a criminal justice curriculum, e-sports, and dual enrollment with Dillard and SUNO along with Nunez and Delgado Community Colleges.
“They’re doing good things so school performance scores are important, but what about the other contributions that school is making, and we believe the school board will look at that as well,” Zanders said.
Zanders says student scores are improving at MLK and the school is in the process of hiring a new CEO.
“Our board of directors is saying let’s not panic. Let’s look at the scores that come out in December.”
According to Rev. Calhoun, MLK Charter is one of the largest employers in the Lower Ninth Ward. He says closing it would be a huge hit to the economy on this side of the Industrial Canal.
“Most of the people who are working for the Friends of King live in this neighborhood, so now you’re taking the economy away from the community,” Calhoun said.
School board members could make a decision on MLK Charter as early as their December 10 meeting.
NOLA PS released this statement:
"No decisions on MLK Schools will be made until all relevant data has been thoroughly reviewed.
"NOLA Public Schools is currently reviewing all data related to MLK Schools to ensure it aligns with the district’s Charter School Accountability Framework (CSAF) for charter renewal decisions.
"One of the key elements of this framework is the School Performance Scores (SPS), which the Louisiana Department of Education has not yet released. These scores are critical in determining whether a charter school will be renewed or not, and they are expected next month.
"We want to assure the public that if NOLA Public Schools decides to close MLK Schools, we will actively explore all possible options to ensure the MLK campuses continue to be used for educational purposes."
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