For 14 years, Louisiana's first charter school, Jefferson Community School, stood as the lone charter in Jefferson Parish, an alternative campus for middle school students with severe discipline problems. Last year, a second alternative charter school opened, the Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy, aimed at high school dropouts and potential dropouts.
But that was before voters elected a largely new School Board last fall and the board appointed James Meza, former education dean at the University of New Orleans and a pioneer in the city's charter school movement, as interim superintendent earlier this year.
Now school officials are poised to join the charter bandwagon, having received applications from 10 nonprofit groups looking to open 13 charters for the 2012-13 academic year.
'A major shift' is expected
It is highly unlikely that the School Board will approve all of them. Although charter schools are on his list of reforms for Jefferson Parish, which is ranked 51st out of 70 Louisiana school systems, Meza said he has no intentions of rushing the process. Quality over quantity is key to a successful transition from a conventional school system to one that "takes the most innovative approaches and most research-based approaches to transform education," Meza said.
"This will be a major shift in how the school system functions," he said. "With that comes a major shift in the hiring of teachers and the choices of parents. As much as we can, we want to maximize the chances for success."
The board will decide Dec. 7 which, if any, applications to approve. Until then, much work must be done to determine which schools would best meet the needs of the system, where about two-thirds of the 89 schools received grades of D or F in the latest round of school performance scores.
Officials are especially interested in schools that would address the struggles of poor students, those who are learning English as a second language and those with special needs. They also are interested in more alternative schools for students who have been expelled or who are older and at risk of quitting.
Jefferson has failed those students, Meza said, and charter schools with track records of success in those areas must be seriously considered.
"I think we have a good choice," he said. "We have applications that appear to be acceptable to our criteria."
'A wonderful education revolution'
Applicants include nonprofit groups running successful schools in New Orleans, including the International High School of New Orleans, International School of Louisiana and Lafayette Academy Charter School.
"There is a wonderful education revolution that is happening in New Orleans," said James Huger, president of Choice Foundation, which oversees Lafayette Academy. "If you give the proper resources to competent managers and hold them accountable, you will get results."
Although Lafayette is a D+ school under Louisiana's new system of awarding letter grades, Lafayette's performance score has more than doubled since 2005 and is now just below 90, the threshold for a low C.
"These children were not in school; they were in day care," Huger said of Lafayette's pre-charter years. "We've had a lot of success, but we still have a long way to go."
Jefferson Parish business leaders are also playing a role in the application process. The Jefferson Chamber Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, already runs the Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy in Harvey for high school dropouts and potential dropouts. The foundation now wants to open a sister campus in East Jefferson.
Another business-backed group, the Jefferson Charter Foundation, has teamed up with Charter Schools USA, a national operator, to open two K-12 schools, one on each side of the Mississippi River. The group's officers include Michael Palamone, chief executive officer of Urban Systems Associates Inc. and Ronnie Slone, a former Jefferson Chamber president.
'Every child can learn'
"The philosophy of our board members and our operator is that every child can learn and every child should be given the opportunity to get a good education," Palamone said.
Diane Hollis, president of Kenner Charter Academy Foundation, which wants to open a school with a health sciences focus, agreed. "We want to give children the opportunity to have dreams and hopes for the future," she said. Hollis is a former teacher, a former interim member of the Parish Council and the widow of the late state Sen. Ken Hollis, R-Metairie.
Jefferson Parish school officials have partnered with the National Association for Charter School Authorizers to manage the evaluation process and make recommendations. Evaluators will be looking for three primary components: a strong and proven educational approach, a solid financial plan and expertise in governance and management. Evaluators also want to see campus plans as well as plans for recruiting staff and students.
"We want to make sure that the team of people whose responsibility this is going to be have the capacity to make it happen," said William Haft, vice president of authorizer development for the national association.
"There's kind of calculated risk in starting a new school, but we ask our evaluators only to recommend proposals that have a strong likelihood of success," said Haft, who also manages the New Orleans charter school application process for the Recovery School District. "We've never a run a process where every application was approved."
Although the Jefferson School Board has the final say about how many charter schools will open next year, Meza expects the number to be low. He said he will wait to see which schools the national organization recommends before making his recommendations.
"This is a major step for our board," Meza said. "And it's extremely important that we develop the most professional approach and make it extremely objective."
Proposals: Jefferson Fusion Charter High would offer college or career readiness curriculum for students interested in individualized and flexible instruction and who might be disengaged from a conventional school setting. Fusion Bridge Charter would provide high school readiness program for older students in grades 6-8. Both schools are proposed for the West Bank.
Applicant: Choice Foundation, which runs Lafayette Academy Charter School and Esperanza School in New Orleans.
Proposal: Choice Foundation Elementary would serve mainly students from high-poverty backgrounds. Curriculum would be based on the TargetTeach model, which aims to improve student achievement through customized programs tailored to state objectives and standardized tests.
Applicant: International Schools of Louisiana, which operates two schools in New Orleans
Proposals: Two K-8 schools, one on each side of the Mississippi River and modeled after similar schools in New Orleans. Curriculum would emphasize multi-language learning, global awareness, celebration of diversity, community responsibility.
Applicant: Jefferson Chamber Foundation, which runs Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy in Harvey.
Proposal: East Jefferson campus similar to Harvey school geared to high school dropouts and potential dropouts. Harvey school offers schedule that enables students to work or care for children or other relatives. Graduates earn a conventional high school diploma.
Applicant: Jefferson Charter Foundation
Partner: Charter Schools USA
Proposals: West Jefferson Charter Academy and East Jefferson Charter Academy, both K-12 schools. Foundation's mission is to create learning environment that offers students a challenging, research-based curriculum, culture of student safety and success and opportunities for community engagement. The schools would open with grades K-6.
Applicant: Jefferson International Preparatory Educational Organization
Partner: Sabis Educational Systems of Minnesota, which manages two charter schools in Shreveport and New Orleans.
Proposal: Jefferson International Preparatory Academy to offer an academically challenging college preparatory program on the West Bank for students in grades K-12. It would open as a K-4 school and be especially geared to students from poor families, students learning English as a second language and those with special needs.
Applicant: Kenner Charter Academies Foundation
Proposal: Kenner Charter Academy, K-8 school to provide rigorous and enriching curriculum based on best practices in learning, leadership, community and parent involvement, assessment and accountability and professional development. It would open with grades K-6.
Applicant: Louisiana Virtual Education Partners
Proposal: Jefferson Parish Career & College Readiness Academy in Harvey, to serve students who have been unsuccessful in conventional school setting and equip them with life and job skills to find a job or enroll in college. Target audience includes recent dropouts, potential dropouts and those who have been expelled.
Applicant: Provost Academy Louisiana
Partner: Edison Learning of New York.
Proposal: Provost Academy of Jefferson Parish. School would combine online learning with site-based instruction and guidance to students who have been unable to excel in a conventional setting. Target population includes expectant or young parents, those with limited English proficiency, students with serious medical issues and those who must work or care for relatives.
Applicant: Voices for International Business and Education, which runs International High in New Orleans
Proposal: International School for English Language Learners to provide academically rigorous high school program based on the latest research in English language acquisition. Target population includes newcomers to the United States and those who were born in the United States but have been raised in a household using a language other than English. English-speaking students who want to attend would be placed in a bilingual immersion program.