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Board renews CSAIL and BASIS Mid City charters and accepts IDEA surrender; several approvals passed on consent agenda
Summary
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board approved a three-year renewal for CSAIL, a six-year renewal for BASIS Mid City, and accepted the relinquishment terms for IDEA Public Schools; the consent agenda — including a $134,110 contract renewal with the City of Baton Rouge for adult education — also passed.
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board approved several charter and consent-agenda items at its Jan. 16 meeting, including renewals and a charter surrender.
CSAIL renewal: The board approved a three-year renewal for CSAIL (Children’s School for the Arts and Integrated Learning) following presentations by CSAIL representatives. Dwan Johnson, representing CSAIL, thanked the board and noted CSAIL is the district’s oldest authorizer relationship, dating to 1997. Andrea Mathis, principal of Cecil Elementary (a CSAIL school), described student successes and said the school is currently a C and continuing improvements. The board approved the renewal with a motion to renew for three years and instructions that renewals align with district policy.
BASIS Mid City renewal: The board approved a six-year renewal for BASIS Mid City. Speakers from BASIS highlighted gains that raised the campus from a D (57) to a B (76) school performance score and credited a combination of targeted intervention, teacher-led small groups and school leadership. Board members praised BASIS leadership and discussed opportunities for collaboration between charters and district schools.
IDEA Public Schools surrender: The board accepted the relinquishment terms for the IDEA Public Schools Louisiana charters for IDEA Bridge and IDEA Innovation and authorized the superintendent to enter administrative agreements with charter management organizations for the remainder of the existing charter terms, with a return to the board for final approvals of those agreements.
Consent agenda and other approvals: The board approved the consent agenda, which included a contract renewal with the City of Baton Rouge to provide adult education services and high school equivalency testing at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for $134,110 for Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2025; approval of the 2025 strategic plan with metrics to be provided by May 2025; and a resolution to call the May 3, 2025 property-tax renewal election. Minutes from December meetings were also approved earlier in the meeting.
Votes at a glance: - CSAIL charter renewal: approved (three years) - BASIS Mid City charter renewal: approved (six years) - IDEA Public Schools charter relinquishment: accepted; superintendent authorized to negotiate administrative agreements and return to board for final approval - Consent agenda (includes contract renewal with City of Baton Rouge, strategic plan, test security policy, call for election): approved
Next steps: The superintendent and board staff will finalize administrative agreements for IDEA charters and file renewal documentation for CSAIL and BASIS according to board policy. The district also will provide strategic-plan metrics by May 2025 as requested in the consent agenda approval.
Closing note: Board members expressed interest in increased collaboration with high-performing charters and reiterated the requirement to follow board policy and state rules for renewals and transitions.
