For Immediate Release
October 2, 2005
Today the board of directors of the Benjamin Franklin High School Association voted unanimously to take all steps necessary to reopen the school in January 2006. For more than forty years, Benjamin Franklin Senior High School has been a symbol of academic excellence in the New Orleans Public School System and the State of Louisiana. Franklin is committed to assisting with the rebuilding of the City of New Orleans by reopening its doors as soon as possible so that students and their families will be encouraged to return to the City and resume their productive roles in our society.
To meet that commitment, the board agreed to present an application to the New Orleans Public School Board for Franklin to become a Type 3 charter school in partnership with the University of New Orleans, continuing to provide a college preparatory education to students who meet admission requirements. The Franklin parent board had never before considered the charter school option but determined that it would be in the best interests of the school given the impact that Hurricane Katrina has had on the New Orleans Public School system, particularly for the schools on the East Bank of Orleans Parish. In fact, as of this date, no plans for re-opening any of the East Bank schools have been announced by the board or its administrators. By pursuing the charter school option, Franklin can continue its unparalleled education of public high school students within the district and take advantage of the educational partnership offered by UNO and federal and private resources available to charter schools.
Because of the impact that Katrina had within Orleans Parish on the homes and residences of Franklin students, it is anticipated that students registered as of August 29, 2005, will be permitted to enroll in January 2006, and remain enrolled through their graduation regardless of their parish of residence. Any student who was accepted for enrollment in Franklin for the 2005-2006 school year but chose to attend another high school and is unable to continue his/her education at that school due to the effects of Katrina may also enroll at Franklin in January 2006. Franklin also understands the drastic impact Katrina had on all college-bound high school seniors and will work with seniors attending any New Orleans Public School who have passed the Graduate Exit Exam so that they can obtain the remaining units that they need to graduate.
Working together with the City of New Orleans, the New Orleans Public School system, and the State of Louisiana, it is the hope of Franklin parents, teachers, and staff to reverse at least part of the negative impact of Katrina on the public education system of the city and to again give its citizens an educational example of which they can be proud.
For more information, contact Carol A. Christen, principal at cachristen@yahoo.com, or Duris L. Holmes, president of the Franklin parents association at dholmes@dkslaw.com.
