After a disaster...what about education?

I don't normally listen to the radio, but I happened to catch NPR the other morning on the drive home from the Princess' school.

What are the New Orleans schools doing to reopen? I went to one website that said they're planning on a November start date. But they are relying on families to contact the school district to ensure that the schools are ramped up correctly.

It was an interesting discussion about how the school district is getting ready to re-open after Katrina.

They mentioned that the largest (or was it best?) school district had over 50,000 kids in it last year. This school year they anticipate only 10,000 kids to return. I mean, that district had to evacuate so I'm surprised that the district is anticipated so many to come back.

To get the kids back in school would mean that the families would have homes to live in. That the parents would have jobs to go back to. Right? But is the part of New Orleans that was devastated by Katrina in ANY condition to support families? I don't think so.

Housing needs to get in order before anyone can move back. I know that when Florida has been hit, it was up to the residents to get their insurance companies to evaluate their situation and then get repairs done. It has been the people's responsibility to get their homes back up and into livable conditions. Are the folks from New Orleans in any position to rebuild their homes?

Jobs need to get stabilized before families would commit to coming back. They need something to come back to. Are the businesses in that area going to rebuild? Are half of them going to rebuild? 25% rebuild? I think that the number of kids that return to school depends on the number of stable jobs that are established in the area.

I hate to say it but it's a big mess. Clean-up needs to take place. Homes need to be made livable. Jobs need to be established.

What I found the most interesting was the talk about how the school district was so bad before the hurricane. How some have advised the district that it should now take the time to revamp itself. That with so few kids returning for this school year that they should focus on BUILDING the district from scratch. To redistribute resources. To focus on restructuring in a more streamlined and more efficient manner. To not waste the money they had -- to use it wisely.

I think that given the condition of the district (which they eluded to) that a restructuring and reorganization of assets and personnel would be best. They really need to focus on the FUTURE of the kids in that district. Not many districts or cities are given the opportunity to see 'best practices' out there and able to initiate them within their schools because of old structures. Now that there is no structure? Take advantage. Look at things with new eyes. If you can't? Then get people who can make the schools the best they can be.

Like many of us know....kids are our future. Give them a place to learn and flourish.