The New Orleans Public School System and the State Recovery District have a daunting task before them. Their task involves reopening damaged public school facilities in New Orleans and restoring public education throughout the city. But it is not enough to reopen or rebuild buildings; they need to improve the overall quality of public education in the city while giving all students access to high quality public school programs and buildings.

There are four major challenges involved with accomplishing this task. First, there is the overall challenge of improving quality of public education in New Orleans. Secondly, there is the challenge of repairing and rebuilding damaged public school facilities so they support high quality programs and services and schools as centers of community. Thirdly, high quality public school facilities have to be affordable to the State of Louisiana and the New Orleans Public School System. Lastly, the State and New Orleans Public Schools need the capacity to manage the planning, design and construction needed to reopen high quality public school facilities.

This proposal addresses these challenges associated with the reopening of public schools in New Orleans. The proposal recommends a public and private partnership to plan, design, construct, manage and finance the redevelopment of high quality public schools in New Orleans and the State of Louisiana damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.