Throwback Thursday: New Orleans Schools a ‘Train Wreck’

That was the headline of a feature story published by the New York Times in April 2005, just months before Hurricane Katrina decimated the City of New Orleans and its broken school system.

While Katrina’s floodwaters destroyed every building operated by the New Orleans Public School System making it physically impossible for students to return—the harsh truth is they shouldn’t have been there to begin with. The city’s public schools had been chronically failing for years, leaving an entire generation of children with no education, no hope and no way out of their poverty-stricken communities. Meanwhile, corruption was rampant. The New York Times report documented the abysmal state of affairs, noting dozens of public school employees who had been indicted or convicted, including eight school superintendents and nearly $70 million in federal money for low-income children that was either not properly accounted for or misspent. In fact, the system was so corrupt that the FBI opened an office in the district’s administration building to look for evidence of ongoing graft. 

According to an article published by the Heritage Foundation, the bureau notched nearly 30 convictions in the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina, including that of a former school board president who pocketed over $140,000 in bribes. 

Recognizing the corruption that plagued the New Orleans Public School System for decades, former Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the Louisiana Legislature finally said enough is enough.  In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, they seized control of more than 100 public schools, turning them into independent charter schools. This bold action enabled tens of thousands of students to return to public education in the Crescent City and led to a decade of unprecedented growth in student achievement—making Louisiana a national model for school choice.

While this dramatic transformation is encouraging, not enough has been done to address the graft that drains much-needed resources from our schools. When asked about public corruption in New Orleans in 2021, outgoing FBI New Orleans Director Jeffrey Sallet boldly told The Times Picayune “it can’t get much worse.”

Louisiana citizens and taxpayers should demand more from their elected officials. As the recent election scandal involving the Livingston Parish School System illustrates, ongoing acceptance of public corruption allows it spread like a cancer.

Editor’s Note: Let us know if you see public officials using or abusing taxpayer resources. If you have a story, tip or inside information about public corruption or any other issue that you think LA Swampwatch should cover, send us an email.