Article on Vacant School Buildings Misses Point
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM
Times-Picayune story creates impression that the Recovery School District is not being aggressive about securing and demolishing vacant school buildings.
August 29, 2009
It’s ironic that, days after the dedication of the first new public school built in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, the Times-Picayune published an article that creates the impression that the Recovery School District is not being aggressive about securing and demolishing vacant school buildings.
All of the school buildings under the RSD’s control have been boarded up, often multiple times. The Augustine building that was featured prominently in Friday’s article has been boarded up no less than eight times over the past two years and will be boarded up for the ninth time. The building and others are monitored regularly by the district’s security officers.
Working with FEMA
One point understated in the article was the degree to which these buildings are revenue generators for the capital plan now being implemented.
The RSD has not torn buildings down after initial damage assessments, but instead developed an iron-strong partnership with FEMA to get buildings reassessed. As a result, the district is able to fully fund the $700 million initial phase of the School Facility Master Plan. It is why, over the next four years, New Orleans will see 22 brand new school buildings and 10 completely renovated school buildings. Because of the work of the RSD and FEMA, the amount of money obligated to rebuild schools has gone from under $300 million to what we expect to grow to substantially more than $1 billion in the near future. Each additional favorable assessment adds to the funding for Phase II of the plan, meaning the difference between a new or renovated school and no school at all. The capital plan is hugely reliant on this money because the district receives comparatively little money for capital construction from the state or city.
The district will continue to negotiate building assessments with FEMA to deliver additional funding for the capital plan.
Temporary problem
The RSD recognizes that vacant buildings can be a problem, but they are temporary problems. Of all the agencies dealing with empty buildings since the storm, the RSD has arguably been the most aggressive about demolishing dilapidated buildings and constructing new buildings.
As New Orleans marks the fourth anniversary of Katrina, many stories could be told about the progress being made in education. It’s a shame that these stories have not been given their due.
News flash