It's just the beginning for New Orleans

By Edward J. McElroy
AFT President

When we examine the developments in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, the big picture isn’t pretty.

The passage of time since Katrina’s destruction has diluted the national sense of urgency about the plight of New Orleans. Few of the promises made after the storm have been kept, and little progress has been made to restore this city to the vibrant, diverse jewel it once was. What’s worse, most of the actions taken have been politically motivated and adversely affect most families, except for the well-off few.

As it stands, only about one in four Katrina evacuees has returned to New Orleans. Most of those who have not come back lost everything. Their houses as well as those of their families, friends and neighbors have been destroyed. Large portions of the city are still without power. Even now, FEMA trailers haven’t arrived where they are most needed. It’s almost as if the government is hoping that these people will give up trying to return home.

In spite of all that has—or has not—happened, displaced New Orleanians want to return. Most have two simple desires: They want the promised temporary shelter and basic utilities they need to re-establish a sense of normalcy, and they want more public schools reopened so their children can resume their education.

That second request has been the focal point of much debate but little action. Many schools suffered minimal damage and could be opened, but have not been. Why? Louisiana is using—and abusing—this tragedy to do what it couldn’t accomplish before: replace most of New Orleans’ public schools with privatized or charter schools.

Putting ideological priorities ahead of educating the students of New Orleans is the wrong approach. Lawmakers are choosing to experiment on New Orleans students rather than restructure the public schools with new and better programs that are working in other urban areas. Left in the wake of this opportunistic transformation are 8,000 teachers and other school employees who were terminated in January.

For years, the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO) has been a leading voice for replicating established, successful programs to raise achievement in New Orleans public schools. It built and operated a center where teachers received professional development to make them more effective educators. The union and its educators should have a voice in the future of the city’s schools. They’re the classroom experts and the very “consultants” the district needs.

Like most others along the Gulf Coast, our members are suffering. But anyone who thinks that the teachers union in New Orleans is finished is mistaken.

With the support of the AFT and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, our local there continues to fight for the rights of its members and students. UTNO effectively represented its members’ interests when the state recently complied with the union’s demands in a now-dropped lawsuit: It opened a few more schools.

The AFT and UTNO have kicked off “Refuse to Lose,” a multimedia campaign that captures the resolve of UTNO to fight for its members who refuse to lose their city, their schools, their jobs, their union—their voice.

And the AFT is still actively pursuing donations through our Disaster Relief Fund for our members in need.

Too many schools remain closed. Power and utilities are still lacking. Thousands of people are still without shelter.

The real disaster here is that so little has been done and another hurricane season is just a few months away. For most of us, it may seem like Hurricane Katrina happened a long time ago. But for working families in New Orleans, the broken promises and lack of progress must make it seem like the storm blew through only yesterday.