New Orleans’ City Council unanimously approved $4.6 million in funding for three public school programs for at-risk students at its meeting Thursday after the funds were withheld from the district by the previous Council, resulting in a public plea from school leaders.
City Council member JP Morrell said the money, which comes from the Harrah’s Casino Fund, covers unspent funds from the last two years. An agreement has not yet been reached regarding the distribution of future funds.
The $4.6 million will be split equally between the Center for Resilience, Travis Hill Schools and the district’s Office of Student Support and Attendance.
For years, the district has relied on money from Harrah’s lease agreement designated for education to fund specialized programs for students who are incarcerated or have significant special needs.
The district is required to request the funds each year. Last year, NOLA-PS only received half of its $3 million request after the previous Council voted to use the rest of its funds to finance early education, though the funds were never distributed. The previous Council also passed a resolution adding the Mayor’s Office of Youth and Families to the decision-making process that the current Council later rescinded.
Morrell said he found the loss of funding, especially to Travis Hill Schools, which serves incarcerated students, especially troubling at a time when violent crime is on the rise.
“We have to put our money where our mouth is,” Morrell said. “Travis Hill is really the biggest resource you have to have those kids who are inside that system come out and be able to go back to school or get their GED.”
There were no public comments against distributing money to the three programs and several comments in support.
“We could not provide our services without the investment of the Council and New Orleans Public Schools,” Center for Resilience CEO Liz Marcelle Williams said in a written statement.
The Center for Resilience provides services for up to 50 students with significant emotional and behavioral health care needs, which exceed typical school resources.
In a joint statement, the district and the school board said they appreciated the Council’s decision to restore funding to what they consider to be essential programming.
“This funding is of critical importance to help our students who can most benefit from additional programming and support,” district Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said in a statement. “We know these programs make a significant difference in the lives of these students.”
