Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans

Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans (LFNO) is a type II charter school,[1] and French international school in New Orleans, Louisiana. As of 2021 (2020-2021 school year) it serves Pre-Kindergarten through grade 10 and will add a new grade level each school year until it is a full PK-12 school.[2] It is under the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB).

Patton St. Campus, the former St. Francis of Assisi School, in September 2014

It is in Uptown New Orleans.[3] The school has two campuses: Patton Campus and Johnson Campus, the latter in Carrollton.[4] It plans to establish the former Alfred C. Priestley Junior High School as its new campus; the school acquired the property in 2015.[5] It is in Pigeon Town, in the Leonidas neighborhood.

It is accredited by the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE).[6] Its governing organization is a non-profit organization Lycée Français de la Nouvelle Orléans, Inc.[7]

History

The school opened in 2011.[8]

Originally the school operated out of the Audubon Zoo and the First Presbyterian Church, with three classrooms at each location. That year the school was making plans to sign a lease on a school building.[9] The school had to rent facilities since, according to its charter classification, the Louisiana state government and the OPSB did not guarantee the school facilities.[10] Jill Otis was the first CEO of the school.[11] The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) authorized the charter of the school.[12] It was not a part of the Recovery School District (RSD).[11]

In November 2011 St. Francis of Assisi Church agreed to lease its school building to the lycee.[13] Milestone SABIS Academy previously leased the building; the Milestone SABIS school leadership learned of the change through the media.[14]

In April 2012, Jean-Jacques Grandiere became the interim CEO. By fall 2012 the school received a deficit of $80,000, and the school had to lay off some employees. At that time Grandiere had resigned. The chairperson of the board hired a former McGehee School employee, Gisele Schexnider, as the interim CEO. In response some parents complained to the Louisiana state government. Danielle Dreilinger of The Times-Picayune stated that this decision resulted in "Trust [having] bottomed out".[11] Parents critical believed that the decision happened too quickly and that it was not right that the hiring was done without a previous superintendent search.[15] There was also a group of parents who supported Schexnider.[16]

On January 11, 2013, parents filed a formal complaint with the BESE.[12] In response, John White, the Louisiana state superintendent of education, appointed a person to assist the school to get a permanent leader, Jeremy Hunnewell, who was of both EMH Strategy and the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, in December 2012;[17] this was a decision Dreilinger described as unexpected.[11] In 2013, due to the initial sudden changes in leadership, Dreilinger described the school as "troubled".[11]

The board had selected Mireille Rabaté as the new CEO for 2013 but she declined the job.[18] On July 1, 2013, Keith Bartlett became the new CEO. Its tentative enrollment for fall 2013 was 400 and it covered up to the third grade.[11]

In 2014 the school joined the Association of French Schools in North America (AFSA, French: Association des Écoles française d’Amérique du Nord, AEFA) group and received accreditation from the French Ministry of Education.[8]

In 2015 it had 466 students. That year, the OPSB sold the three story former Alfred C. Priestly Junior High School campus to the Lycee.[10]

By 2016 the school had 721 students. It had two additional campuses: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ,[19] and Central St. Matthew United Church of Christ, the latter beginning in 2016. That year the student population was expanding and the school was seeking additional temporary space.[20]

In 2016 the lycee's board approved plans to ask to open a campus at the former James Weldon Johnson Elementary School in Carrollton.[19] Space in Johnson opened up since Sophie B. Wright Charter School vacated the building that year as renovation in its permanent facility had been completed.[21] The request was approved in March 2017.[22]

Admissions

For students in grade 1 and above, admissions usually requires taking a test in the French language. In 2019 the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) allowed the school to give waivers for the French proficiency test to students who come from schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education and/or have passed the Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française.[3]

Campuses
The old Priestly School complex, vacant in 2010

The future Lycee school building, the former Priestly Junior High School, is in the Pigeon Town/Pension Town area,[23] in Leonidas. The Priestly building has a total of 32,000 square feet (3,000 m2) of space. The 1955-built gymnasium had a total of 6,500 square feet (600 m2) of space. The Priestly building/complex was worth about $425,000 in 2015; Martha Jewson of The Times-Picayune wrote that the school would need to spend at least $9 million to make the building student-worthy. According to a 2008 report from the OPSB, "The facility has extensive damage, and most is beyond repair."[10] The property makes up a single city block.[24]

In 1980 Priestly junior high had closed. From 1980 to 1993 the building housed offices,[25] and from 1993 to 2005 it was used to store furniture.[23] Hurricane Katrina disrupted the latter usage.[25] OPSB owned the school building but sought to sell it as it deemed the building to be not needed. As per Louisiana law, charter school operators had priority in buying school buildings ahead of private entities. In 2015 all members of the lycee board agreed to purchase it.[26] There was a website operated by people who opposed the Lycee buying Priestly. A group of area residents advocated instead for a health center to the at Priestly.[27]

The Johnson campus is in proximity to Priestly.[21]

It formerly operated the Claiborne Campus and the St. Paul Campus.[28]

References
  1. "FAQ's". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Retrieved 2020-05-25. It is a type-2 public charter school[...]
  2. "About Us". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  3. Nobles, Wilborn P. III (2019-01-23). "Lycee Francais school can change its admissions criteria, state says". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  4. "Home". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Retrieved 2020-05-25. Patton Campus: 5951 Patton Street New Orleans, LA 70115 Johnson Campus: 1800 Monroe Street New Orleans, LA 70118
  5. "Lycée's Future Home". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  6. "Lycée français de La Nouvelle Orléans". Agency for French Education Abroad. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  7. "Charter Extensions and Renewals" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Education. November 2014. p. 18/160. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  8. Moga, Nathalie (2014-07-30). "Le Lycée français de La Nouvelle-Orléans accrédité par l'Etat français". France-Amérique (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  9. Morris, Robert. "Lycee Francais nearing deal for new school building." Uptown Messenger. November 14, 2011. Retrieved on August 3, 2012.
  10. Jewson, Martha (2015-06-08). "Lycée Français has major work ahead to open Priestley campus". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  11. Dreilinger, Danielle (2013-07-09). "New CEO takes over at New Orleans' Lycee Francais, possibly ending leadership upheaval". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  12. Dreilinger, Danielle (2013-01-16). "State steps in as problems continue at French immersion charter Lycee Francais". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  13. Morris, Robert (2011-11-21). "Lycée Français announces St. Francis of Assisi school at State and Patton as new campus". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  14. Vanacore, Andrew (2011-11-23). "Charter school mystified after St. Francis of Assisi leases building out from under it". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  15. Dreilinger, Danielle (2012-12-11). "Lycee Francais parents upset about hasty hiring of interim school director". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  16. CatalAnello, Rebecca; Martha Jewson (2013-01-31). "Lycée Français leader explains bullying stance". The Times-Picayune. The Lens. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  17. Dreilinger, Danielle (2012-12-22). "John White intervenes to help struggling Lycee Francais charter school in Uptown". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  18. "Rabate declines Lycee CEO job calling it 'one of the most difficult decisions' of her life". The Times-Picayune. 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  19. "Lycee Francais votes to request Johnson building in Carrollton as temporary space". Uptown Messenger. 2016-12-19. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  20. Melancon, Jamal (2016-09-23). "Lycee Francais may need more space sooner than later". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  21. Morris, Robert (2016-11-14). "Lycee Francais eyes temporary move to former Johnson campus (live coverage)". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  22. Morris, Robert (2017-03-13). "Lycee Francais approved for move to Johnson campus amid parents' misgivings". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  23. Dreilinger, Danielle (2014-06-12). "Want to buy a school that closed 21 years ago? First, take a look inside". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  24. Morris, Robert (2014-06-12). "Charter leaders look for potential in vacant Carrollton school buildings". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  25. "Priestley's New Beginnings". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. 2015-07-08. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  26. Morris, Robert. "Lycee Francais charter school votes to explore purchasing Priestley building". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  27. Morris, Robert (2014-07-10). "Group of "P-town" neighbors seeks Healing Center concept for Priestley site instead of French charter school". Uptown Messenger. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  28. "Home". Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans. 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2020-05-26. Patton St. Campus: 5951 Patton Street, New Orleans, LA 70115 St. Paul Campus: 600 Eleonore Street, New Orleans, LA 70115 Claiborne Campus: 5401 S. Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70125

Further reading
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