Policy expert commends New Orleans’ charter schools, criticizes new district-run opening

New Orleans’ public charter school system is superior to a traditional school district model.

That’s what author and public policy consultant David Osborne said Thursday at the nonprofit Bureau of Governmental Research’s (BGR) 2024 annual luncheon.

As the event’s keynote speaker, Osborne highlighted the public charter school system in his commentary on “achieving high-performing public institutions.” He lauded the flexibility that the new system has provided to New Orleans’ families since its inception in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when many school districts went bankrupt. 

Currently, over 90% of public schools in New Orleans are charter-based and serve 99% of the city’s public school students. The local school board, Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), oversees charter authorizations alongside the state school board, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Notably, Osborne also called the decision from New Orleans Public Schools to reopen a recently closed charter school as a district-run public school “a mistake,” asking the audience to consider whether the traditional model would be held to the same high standards as a charter school. 

“The answer in our experience in this country is absolutely not,” he concluded. “Politically it’s just much tougher to close a school for your employees than it is to close or replace an independent charter.” 

Avis Williams, district superintendent, favored the reopening of the charter as a traditional public school, Leah Chase School, in the building previously home to Lafayette Academy. It also marked a pivotal moment in local education politics, as candidates for the OPSB differ in their approaches to the matter. 

Donaldo Batiste, a current school board member running for re-election, has spoken out in favor of a return to traditional public schools and placing a moratorium on authorizing new charters.  

“Instead of inviting new charters to come, we’re directing the superintendent to bring back district-run schools,” Batiste claimed at a recent candidate discussion. 

Batiste’s opponent, KaTrina Chantelle Griffin, was endorsed by Democrats for Education Reform – a national pro-charter organization. While Griffin has not explicitly campaigned on rejecting traditional public schools, she has called for a greater focus on improving existing schools rather than replacing lower-performing charters with district-run schools. 

“I don’t care if you’re district run or charter run. I support good schools, and we need more – it’s just that simple,” she said.