What is the School Facilities Master Plan?

The School Facilities Master Plan is a comprehensive plan for the Orleans Parish public schools. The plan will serve as a blueprint to guide future school renovations and new construction. It is a joint project of the Recovery School District (RSD) and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB).

The Master Plan is a significant undertaking for our community and will require the participation of many people, including parents, students, experts, educators and other residents. The plan is scheduled to be completed in May 2008.

What are the components of the School Facilities Master Plan?

The components of the Master Plan are as follows:

• Facility standards;
• Future enrollment projections and capacity needs;
• Educational program for every school expected to be opened;
• Evaluation of existing school facilities;
• Capital renewal forecast for maintenance and planning for the next ten years;
• Facilities master plan incorporating the recommendations of the previous city wide planning efforts, the building requirements from the Louisiana Recovery Authority,
  and floodplain levels; and
• Community engagement workshops throughout the master planning process.

Which schools are covered by the Master Plan?

The School Facilities Master Plan covers all New Orleans public schools, including those schools managed by the RSD and the OPSB.

What are the sources of demographic data?

GCR, a local demographic and planning firm, has been contracted to provide demographic statistics and enrollment projections for the Master Plan. GCR is performing similar studies for other governmental agencies. To make enrollment projections, GCR considers several data sources including, but not limited to, school enrollments, post office deliveries, utility connections, and building permits.

What is the Quick Start Construction Program?

While the long-term Master Plan is being developed, more schools are needed now to support the citys recovering population. In order to meet this current need, the Quick Start program was established for the construction of new replacement or total renovation projects needed for the fall of 2009. RSD is constructing five projects (Landry, Lake Area, Hughes, Wilson, and F. C. Williams) and OPSB is building the Hynes School
replacement.

What will happen to my school?

As part of the Master Plan, every school is being assessed, whether or not damaged by Hurricane Katrina. This assessment and scope of repair work will indicate the cost to improve it to modern standards. Katrina-related damage would be noted as well as any needed maintenance repairs or educational upgrades. The restoration or replacement of the various schools will depend on a number of factors that will be addressed in the Master Plan process, including educational programs and enrollment projections. Decisions about plans for individual schools will be made using this data and only after several opportunities for public input.

Which schools are being demolished?

Schools that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina were assessed by FEMA staff and are being reassessed by Master Plan consultants. In general, buildings that were over 50% damaged will be demolished. FEMA funds will be used for the demolition.

How can I receive regular updates about the status of the Master Plan? How can the public get feedback?

There is an official website that is under development that will allow residents to track the Master Plan, give their opinions and ideas, and provide residents still living in other cities an opporttunity to access materials and send their comments. It can be found by going to www.nolapublicschools.net and clicking the button for the Master Plan. The public is invited to give their opinions and ideas on the website. We would welcome residents still living in other cities to provide input via the website. Also, sixteen (16) open public meetings are planned and will be announced via this website.

How many public meetings are scheduled?

There will be one general city-wide public meeting on Nov. 17, 2007 at Warren Easton High School, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Five (5) additional meetings in different geographic areas of the city will be held in late November and early December.

After the Master Plan team has made a preliminary analysis, ten (10) additional meetings will be held after Mardi Gras in various neighborhoods. Individuals and neighborhood
associations are invited to participate in this process. Please refer to the website for further information on those meetings.

How will the flood elevation requirements affect decisions about schools?

New schools buildings are being planned to meet Base Flood Elevations as determined by the National Flood Insurance Program.

How are school construction projects being funded?

FEMA will be providing the majority of the funding in the initial phases of the Capital Improvements Plan that will be included in the Master Plan. The amount of funding FEMA provides will be based on hurricane damage.

In the past, new schools in Orleans Parish were funded by a referendum vote of its citizens authorizing bond issues and related property and sales taxes. How we fund
schools in the future will be a topic that will be addressed in the Master Plan. State law may have to be changed to allow school districts more flexibility and options to build, upgrade and maintain schools.

There are a number of Modular classes that have been erected as temporary classrooms after Katrina. How long will these modular units remain? The modular units are temporary school facilities that were placed throughout the city
where projected to be needed before major construction can be completed. There are a total of 6,600 modular seats on nine campuses. Modular units are considered
temporary in nature. These units will be retired as schools are built or repaired. It is not the intent of the OPSB or the RSD to house students permanently in modular or portable campuses.