Recovery School District Benefits From Additional FEMA Funds
Release Date: May 16, 2007
Release Number: 1603-636
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NEW ORLEANS, La. -- A number of elementary and high schools in the Recovery School District (RSD) can continue their rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina with $10 million recently obligated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
When projects are obligated by FEMA, the funds are transferred to a Smartlink account. This allows the applicant (RSD) to work with the Governors Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) as quickly as possible to access the monies and distribute them to the local applicant. The state requires documentation from the applicant before disbursals are made. Obligated funds will change as amendments to the project worksheet are performed by FEMA. The project worksheet is a living grant that is adjusted as bids come in and the scope of work is aligned. The RSD does not have access to these reimbursement funds until work is completed and paid for and documentation is provided to GOHSEP.
These latest round of funds will be used to reimburse for projects that include new buildings, fencing, auditoriums, cafeterias, athletic fields and canopies. Abrams, Alexander, Coghill, Edwards, Hardin, Langston Hughes and Lockett Elementary Schools, for example, are eligible for the replacement of select buildings on their campuses, as are Lake Area and Williams Middle Schools and Abramson, Carver and Lawless High Schools.
"Facilities are the number one challenge facing schools in New Orleans right now," said State Superintendent of Education Paul G. Pastorek. "As families move back home, we must be able to provide the type of schools that our students deserve; schools that are clean, safe and serve as centerpieces for the neighborhoods recovering around them. This money is a vital part of that process and Im pleased that FEMA is helping to expedite the repair of much-needed schools in New Orleans."
The RSD was created in 2003 by the state legislature and is operated by the Louisiana Department of Education. To date, there are 58 public schools open in Orleans Parish, of which 22 schools are directly operated by the RSD and an additional 17 charter schools are affiliated with the RSD.
Other projects underway include work at Gentilly Terrace, A.D. Crossman, and H.C. Schaumburg, and William J. Gust Elementary Schools; Thurgood Marshall, Landry and Charles C. Colton Middle Schools; Booker T. Washington High School; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science & Technology. Work continues at the following schools which are currently open: Live Oak Elementary, Sylvanie Williams, Dibert and Douglass High School.
"Rebuilding our schools continues to be a top priority. The Recovery School District has been very aggressive in their efforts to bring quality educational facilities back to the children of this city," said Jim Stark, director of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. "FEMA is committed to working closely with the Recovery School District to help back their momentum and foresight with the funding to turn the projects into reality."
The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government and certain private nonprofit organizations buildings and recreation centers, as well as roads, bridges and water and sewer plants. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.
FEMA coordinates the federal governments role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-May-2007 10:11:00