GEO Academies presents RSD operator model to BESE; board to consider operator approval next month

GEO Academies leaders presented their Baton Rouge network model and student outcomes to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as part of the board’s effort to identify additional operators for Recovery School District (RSD) work.

Kevin Teasley, founder of GEO Academies, and Clint Eby, executive director of strategic development for GEO, described the network’s growth since 2015, citing four schools and roughly 2,000 students in Baton Rouge. Teasley said the network hires and trains local staff and reported a teacher retention rate of roughly 80 percent. “We hire local. We also train local. And we also retain local,” he said.

Eby highlighted four pillars of the GEO model — early college immersion, TAP teacher development, rigorous curriculum and family/community partnerships — and noted that GEO graduates have earned associate degrees through coordinated early college programs. He provided network performance highlights, saying several GEO schools are B‑rated, have shown year‑over‑year gains since COVID, and have strong K–3 literacy metrics on DIBELS.

The board was told GEO’s current student population is over 99 percent minority and about 85 percent economically disadvantaged; students with disabilities hover around 13 percent across the network. Board members clarified that the presentation was informational and that GEO’s application would be considered next month if BESE solicits RSD operator approvals.

No action was taken at the meeting; the board received GEO’s materials and members were invited to follow up with GEO staff.