I have publicly stated that the changes to Fifth Ward Elementary are without justification.

After learning more about how this radical equity agenda came to be officially adopted, I will add that schools in Nevada and Utah can use a program that our Superintendent and administration shared with them as the passionate program for dramatic increases in student learning and achievement, I will now ask why was it not reiterated for FWE as it worked so well for the school in 2008?

The Board was not given the chance to see how great of a program this obviously was for us to share it on a national level, what a farce to be perpetrated on the citizens of SJBP.

Disturbingly, our duly elected representatives on the board may have been tricked in the process, for sure the students of FWE were promised resources.

“We are working with the administration there to identify the problems and weak areas to help them create a plan to address those things,” Superintendent George said. “You are going to see a lot of different things happen at Fifth Ward and Garyville as far as the resources that we pour into those schools.” (2015 statements)

George said the key is creating a strategy and actively monitoring the plan put into place.

“That is definitely not a trend we want to continue, nor will we stand for it,” George said. “That is not acceptable results.”

Again we (administration of SJPSB) aggressively shared a program on a national level that worked in this parish and at the same school, but this resource was not on the list of resources or a part of the plan to improve achievement at Fifth Ward Elementary.

At every step, deceptive tactics were deployed to bring us to where we are today.

FWE is the chosen school, not for the Progress and Resources that it was promised, but because of scores as shown and used (none shown) and lastly not because the Town Hall meeting was such a success in clearly presenting the concerns to Parents and Community (did not happen).

It is never too late to get it right.

Save our schools — why FWE? Why now?

— Carolyn Jean Batiste

LaPlace