Two historic New Orleans high schools, John F. Kennedy High School and Frederick Douglass High School, will merge operations next school year at Kennedy’s Gentilly campus, according to KIPP New Orleans officials.
KIPP New Orleans’ board of directors voted last week to combine the schools, which they attributed to rising costs, major repairs needed to Douglass’ building on St. Claude Avenue and the pressure of declining citywide enrollment, which will likely lead to school closures across the district.
The combined school will operate under the Kennedy name, Douglass principal Towana Pierre-Floyd wrote in a letter to families Tuesday. Pierre-Floyd will lead the combined school, she said, and Douglass teachers will move over to Kennedy…