Consider Andrew Wilson Elementary here in New Orleans:
Once an important part of the Broadmoor-area community, the school now sits abandoned two years after Katrina. The school suffered substantial damage from the storm, and neighborhood residents complain that the laggard response of the city government has brought theft and vandalism to the facility.
Now, ponder Andrew Wilson as a microcosm of city planners’ efforts citywide.
Will Andrew Wilson Elementary be refurbished or completely torn down and built anew?
Which is more cost efficient?
Which does the neighborhood prefer?
If the school is too damaged to be renovated, what are the social implications of tearing it down?
What sort of racial or class issues would this arouse?
If the school is to be renovated…
Has the school already been gutted, or is it still in the shape it was in immediately following K?
What work has the community already done on the facility?
What remains broken? Who will fix it?
What kinds of materials are needed? Who will supply them?
How much money will be allocated to rebuilding the facility? Is that enough?
What projects within the school will we prioritize?
What new technology needs to be introduced to the old facility?
What is the timeline? Is it realistic?
Are there enough teachers to staff the facility?
Have students moved back? Are there enough to fill the school once it reopens?
If students have not moved back, where are they?
What do current students want to prioritize in rebuilding? Is it different from what their parents, school alumni, or city officials prefer?
Should Andrew Wilson be opened immediately or only after other schools are reopened?
Is the school in an area that is at high risk of flooding again? If so, what precautionary measures are being taken?
How soon can we start?
Keep in mind, this is just one school of many.
There are 69 schools in New Orleans that have officially reopened. Before the storm, there were roughly 130. That’s a difference of about 60.
If we multiply these 20 questions by 60, we get 1200.
And this is just the schools.
1200 questions to answer, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
-- Cart Weiland
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For every 10 students to enroll in public high schools in New Orleans, fewer than 6 will graduate, and only 2 will enroll in college.
["The State of Public Education in New Orleans Before Hurricane Katrina" report published by The Boston Consulting Group, June 2007]
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