Nearly ten years after Hurricane Katrina, some former school buildings sit vacant. The school board is selling them off. This week charter school leaders get a look inside seven of the buildings.
The buildings are mostly empty: a faded mural here, a line of rusted lockers there. State law gives charter school operators first dibs on the buildings. So the seven properties are on display, but not to the general public.
At A.J. Bell Jr. High School, Tessa Jackson clicks on a flashlight and studies the ceiling for termite damage. Jackson is board president at Milestone Academy. The school currently rents space in Jefferson Parish.
"We've been told that we won't be able to rent or buy that space," Jackson says. "So we have to kind of look for a space elsewhere. It's up to us as a charter school board to find our own facility."
Several charter schools are searching for permanent homes. Others want space to expand. But Jackson says it might cost less to build a brand new school than renovate an old property.
Charter operators can put in offers on the buildings. If no one shows interest, they may go up for public auction.
Support for education reporting on WWNO comes from Baptist Community Ministries and Entergy Corporation.