George W. Bush returns to New Orleans for Katrina anniversary
Scene of low point in his presidency has seen academic gains in rebuilt schools
Former president George W. Bush returned to New Orleans Friday — the scene of one of his presidency's lowest points — on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to tout the region's recovery from the country's costliest natural disaster.
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He chose to deliver remarks at Warren Easton Charter High School, the same school he visited on the first anniversary of the catastrophic storm. He was accompanied by his wife, Laura, whose library foundation helped rebuild what is the oldest public school in New Orleans.
"Isn't it amazing? The storm nearly destroyed New Orleans and yet, now, New Orleans is the beacon for school reform," Bush said at the city's oldest public school, which was badly flooded and almost abandoned before it reopened a year later.
The school's success is one of the president's brighter moments in what was an extremely trying time for the Bush administration. Bush was vilified for his government's lackluster response.
Bush praised the schools' progress, saying that parents have more choices and that teachers and principals have less bureaucracy hindering their work.
A series of faux pas — from flying over flooded New Orleans first on Air Force One to his "Heckuva job, Brownie" quip in support of then director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], Michael Brown— marred his personal record.
Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University and author of The Great Deluge, a detailed account of the first days after Katrina, said the catastrophic hurricane became a "confluence of blunders" from which Bush would not recover. His approval ratings fell following the storm and did not recover, he said. "That's when I think his presidency started on a downward trend."
At Warren Easton, at least, Bush could point to a success story.
"We have fond memories of his last visit," said Arthur Hardy, a celebrity in New Orleans for his expertise in all things Mardi Gras and Carnival, the city's signature festivity. Hardy graduated from the high school in 1965.
He said Bush helped the school come back and reopen after Katrina.
After New Orleans, the Bush family visited Gulfport, Miss., to attend an event with state officials, including Gov. Phil Bryant and former governor Haley Barbour. Barbour was governor when Katrina hit and served as a staunch Bush ally.
The event in Mississippi served to thank first responders who helped after the hurricane.
The Gulf Coast and New Orleans are places Bush is deeply tied to — both as an eastern Texan familiar with the Gulf and as the president who inherited the Katrina disaster.
The bulk of the rebuilding fell to the Bush administration, which oversaw more than $140 billion US on the disaster, his office said.
Bush largely took a hands-off approach and frequently said rebuilding was best left to locals. He's made frequent trips to the region since Katrina, his office said. Much of the rebuilding — now viewed as a success story — was overseen by Bush appointees.
In 2006, when he came to deliver his anniversary remarks, Bush picked Warren Easton as an example of the city's comeback spirit.
The school fought to stay open as a new charter school and was in the process of reopening when Bush came. When Warren Easton reopened in 2006, nearly every student who attended was considered homeless because they lived in trailers sent to hurricane victims by FEMA or slept on couches, school officials said.
Back then, Bush talked about the need for school reforms. His speech was a nod to the city's efforts to expand charter schools to break up what was widely seen as a failing neighbourhood school model. The old public school system was riddled with broken buildings, failing grades and pervasive corruption.
By 2006, Katrina was already serving as a catalyst for a nearly system-wide takeover. The state of Louisiana eventually turned all 57 schools under its control into independently run charters, publicly funded and accountable to education officials for results, but with a great deal of autonomy in daily operations.
The city's four-year graduation rate is up to 73 percent, but progress is uneven, and many lament the loss of neighbourhood schools. Parents also question the qualifications of some teachers, saying they lack experience and certification.
Bush was only positive Friday, saying "today we celebrate the resurgence of New Orleans schools."