Many years ago, I worked here in New Orleans for the state Welfare Department. I soon became frustrated with the cycle of poverty and sense of hopelessness that I saw among the people I worked with. I began to wonder if I could make more of a difference by reaching young people and helping them achieve a better life.

Soon after I entered the classroom and began my teaching career, I knew I had made the right decision. Ray Charles once said, "I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts — like my ribs, my kidneys, my heart." That’s what teaching felt like to me. It’s what I was meant to be.

We had a stable and close-knit faculty at Harney Elementary. I taught 4th grade there. Our school wasn’t perfect, but we live in an imperfect world. Every child who entered our school was accepted and embraced. And we worked hard to help them learn, grow and achieve.

We live in cynical times. Someone once said that "bad news travels twice as fast as good news." The New Orleans public schools are proof of that. Many of our critics have never stepped foot in our schools. And many of them supported quick fixes over long-term reform and resources. But one of the biggest secrets about the New Orleans public schools is the genuine progress that we were starting to make.

No one wanted to talk about the nearly 80 percent of our schools that improved their state accountability scores. No one wanted to talk about the 75 percent of our schools that met the "adequate yearly progress" standard under the No Child Left Behind Act. Harney Elementary improved its test scores last school year and had met the growth target set by the state.

The children who went to our school felt loved and valued. Parents felt welcomed. I had a reputation as a stern disciplinarian, and perhaps that’s why so many parents wanted their children in my class. They knew I was tough, but they knew I cared deeply about their children. In some cases, I have taught the children and grandchildren of these parents. Whenever I hear people say, "It takes a village," I think of our village . . . . of Harney Elementary.

That’s quite a contrast to the shameful circumstances that exist now in our city. Consider what has occurred:

In February, virtually the entire workforce of 7,500 teachers, librarians, counselors, bus drivers and other school staff of Orleans Parish was fired. Even worse, I found out I was fired by word of mouth. To this day, I have never received a letter informing me of my termination. To me, that is a slap in the face.

Losing one’s job is a serious blow, but this hardship has been made worse by the fact that thousands of school district employees are without health care. Given that we are out of work, who can afford to pay hundreds of dollars each month in premiums to continue the coverage? I know of a fellow teacher who was diagnosed with cancer soon after Katrina. How sad it is that, in addition to dealing with her illness, she must contend with the worries of how to pay for her chemotherapy.

Many of these school employees could and should be working because there are many parents who have no school to send their children. Why? Because only 5 non-charter public schools are open.

It’s true that most New Orleans schools were heavily damaged by Katrina, but a number of public schools in neighboring parishes were also hard hit. Many public schools in Jefferson and St. Tammany Parishes sustained considerable damage, but nearly all of them were reopened within several weeks of Katrina. There’s no excuse why we’re not reopening more schools in New Orleans.

Harney Elementary, where I taught, suffered minor damage. I know this because I walked through the building two months after Katrina. If the state and our school district really put their minds to it, I’m convinced they could reopen Harney soon. The same is true for many other schools.

There is no question in my mind that a lot more families would return to New Orleans if it weren’t for two major problems — the lack of schools and the lack of housing.

Although a handful of charter schools have opened in New Orleans, many parents are learning the sad reality — these schools are not required, like traditional public schools, to accept all children. Parents of children with physical or mental disabilities are finding that some of these charter schools lack the staff or resources that their children need.

The public schools of Orleans Parish certainly had their problems and challenges, but we never hid from or closed our doors to those challenges. We didn’t turn children away who were labeled "too difficult" to educate.

What’s at stake here is the fundamental promise of public education — the promise of leveling the playing field and extending opportunity to all. Katrina destroyed so many lives and homes, but we cannot allow post-Katrina policies to destroy the hope and opportunity that public schools represent.

Public schools are critical to rebuilding New Orleans. Many teachers like me want to get back in the classroom and do our part to breathe life back into our city. But this cannot happen without the assistance of the federal government. At this point, the federal response to helping New Orleans reopen its schools has been sorely lacking.

Rebuilding and repairing schools should be an immediate federal priority. The federal government should create a rebuilding program that assumes responsibility for 100 percent of these costs, given the unprecedented severity of this hurricane. This program should provide dedicated funds that can be used with flexibility to get more of our schools open.

I also think that the U.S. Department of Education should grant a waiver to Louisiana on behalf of New Orleans to reprogram federal education funds that have been already appropriated for our public schools. These funds cannot be spent for their original purposes due to the overwhelming number of school closings. This waiver would enable the district to rehire teachers and other staff, pay their salaries and also maintain their health care coverage so that they can return to their classrooms as more public schools are reopened.

We cannot truly bring New Orleans back to life until we bring her schools back to life. My colleagues and I desperately want to help in this effort but cannot do so under the current circumstances.

Thank you again for the chance to offer my thoughts on these important issues. I welcome any questions that members of the committee may have about my statement.