Martin Luther King Jr. Card in New Orleans may be closed

Charter School for Sci Tech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an F-rated K-12 charter school in the Lower 9th Ward, is facing closure because it failed to meet school district standards for automatic renewal of your charter.

The school, run by Friends of King Schools, is the only public school in the Lower 9th Ward. It has an elementary campus on Caffin Avenue and a high school campus on North Rocheblave Street, on the former site Secondary School named after Alfred Lawless.

Thirteenth Community School the contracts were due to be renewed this fallbut all but King’s were automatically renewed based on academic, financial and organizational standards. Instead, the school was offered a “comprehensive” renewal that includes an in-depth data analysis, a school visit, a school-wide survey and a public hearing at which the school can present its case to NOLA Public Schools.

In 2021, then-Superintendent Henderson Lewis awarded the school three years “conditional” extension of the contractl. District officials said King then violated district policy by improperly conducting background checks and failing to provide federally required special education services. All these problems have already been solved.

Despite this, the school has low academic ratings and a decreasing student population. School principals say poor academic performance is partly due to a wave of teacher retirements and students’ mental health problems.

NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Avis Williams will make a recommendation on the school’s fate to the Orleans Parish School Board at its Dec. 10 meeting. The Orleans Parish School Board will ultimately vote to approve or reject this recommendation.

Rafael Simmons, the district’s director of innovation and accountability, said King school principals will be notified of the decision a week before the meeting and families will be notified three days before the meeting. If the school is not renovated, it will operate normally until the end of the school year.

The King’s friends present the case

During a public hearing Monday night, King’s leaders presented their position to Williams and the school board.

In 2023, the school received an “F” grade from the state, down from a “D” grade the year before. The state has not yet released ratings for 2024.

Simmons said the school’s students perform well below the district average on state standardized tests, ACT scores and other measures.

Steve Martin, testing coordinator at King’s, cited the nation’s lowest test scores, student mental health crises, more rigorous academic standards set by the district and “a change in the student population.”

Martin said there were improvements in academics, including on the school’s Progress Index, which measures students’ academic development over time. The school also has a successful nursing program and the only high school esports program in New Orleans. NOLA Public Schools has not charged King with any violations since the school’s 2021 renewal.

Williams questions the school’s low enrollment, particularly at the high school, which only has about a quarter of its seats filled. Nearly 30% of elementary school students come from the Lower 9th Ward, but only 15% of high school students come from the neighborhood, Williams said.

She noted that there are a total of 469 high school-age students in the area, but most choose to attend various schools throughout New Orleans, including Warren Easton Charter High School, G.W. Carver High School and McDonogh 35 Senior High School.

Sylvia Arcenaux, King’s chief operating officer, said parents choose other schools in part because of poor infrastructure in the area, including unreliable public transportation.

School employee Marianne Lemle said a wave of long-time certified teachers retired during the pandemic and the school had difficulty finding replacements.

Community contributions

Several community members urged the board to renew the school’s charter.

Reverend Willie Calhoun Jr. he praised the school’s criminal justice academy and crime lab and stated that “there should be no question of this school continuing in the community.”

Valeri Bocage, a Lower 9th Ward resident who runs a nonprofit organization called Powerful Women International Connections, said King’s students are happy and polite during her visits to the school.

“You walk into this staff and touch their hearts,” she added.

Wesley Bishop, a former state senator who is director of policy and government affairs for New Orleans City Council member Oliver Thomas, noted that King is the only school in the area and that efforts are underway to revitalize the Lower 9th Ward.

“I don’t think you can do it without having a school in the Lower 9th Ward,” he said. “It’s critical.”