NEW ORLEANS – (Jan. 24, 2020) – On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) notified Joseph A. Craig Charter School faculty, staff and families, of the siting of Joseph A. Craig to Homer A. Plessy Community School. Homer A. Plessy Community will be responsible for the school’s operation and management beginning on July 1, 2020. The school serves Pre-K4 through 8th grade and is currently located in the French Quarter area in the McDonogh 15 building. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, Homer A. Plessy will be located on both the Craig and McDonogh 15 campuses.

“In December it was determined that new leadership was needed to serve the students and families of the Joseph A. Craig school,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “Of the two eligible school operators that applied to manage the school, Homer A. Plessy was best suited to meet the needs of its students. We will continue to support and engage with all of the school’s faculty, staff, families and community members throughout the 2019-2020 school year as well as throughout its transition.”

In November of 2019, NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. recommended to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) that the charter contract with Friends of King not be renewed due to its failure to meet renewal standards for the school per district policy. NOLA-PS has spent the past several months conducting an open siting process to determine a new operator for Joseph A. Craig beginning in the 2020-21 school year. There were two eligible operators that applied to operate Joseph A. Craig. These applicants submitted required information to NOLA-PS. In early January, the district held engagement sessions for families, students, and staff to learn more about the two interested operators.

In considering the applicants’ required submissions, feedback provided at engagement events, and portfolio analysis, NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis has approved the siting of Joseph A. Craig to Homer A. Plessy Community School.

NOLA Public Schools will work closely with Joseph A. Craig and Homer A. Plessy throughout this year to ensure a smooth transition of management of the school.

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