I have heard much about the devastation in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. I have heard about families moving to other states. Some plan to return and rebuild. Others have made their permit home elsewhere. During the entire news and media about the hurricane victims, I never considered the education system in New Orleans.
The hurricane has affected more than just the building structures in the city. It created an upset in all of the city’s systems.
After hurricane Katrina, over 4,000 teachers in New Orleans were dismissed. With schools demolished and students moving, there was no need for many of the teachers.
Now New Orleans is trying to rebuild both the structures and the population. The Recovery School District is in desperate need of teachers. It needs to hire 500 teachers before September. The school district is running ads in Pittsburgh, Houston, and Minneapolis. Pittsburgh and Minneapolis were chosen because they are both known for having a surplus of teachers. Many victims of hurricane Katrina moved to Houston and New Orleans is hoping to pull some of the people back into the city.
New Orleans is also hoping that offering a $17,300 in relocation bonuses will entice teachers to take jobs in the Recovery School District. They are offering teachers the opportunity to help rebuild the entire education system in New Orleans.
The Recovery School District was established in the “before Katrina” stages in 2003. It was created to support five struggling New Orleans schools. After Katrina the district received 107 more schools. However, all of the schools are not in operation. Only 27 public schools are open in New Orleans. Twenty-two of the schools are in the Recovery School District. There are also 31 charter schools open in New Orleans.
The city hopes that its rebuilding efforts will increase student enrollment by 27,000 children in the next year.
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