EBR School leaders & stakeholders tour Miami Dade County performance & visual arts schools

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - How do you turn a struggling school district into a premier school system?

Leaders from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System are in Miami-Dade County to tour its school district to get some inspiration on improving facilities and programs closer to home, as part of the ‘Envision the Future of School Innovation Tour.’

Miami Dade County Public Schools pulled out the red carpet for the EBR Schools delegation on Monday, November 1.

From small performances to full-on shows resembling something, you’d see on Broadway.

Members of the East Baton Rouge Parish Education delegation toured several Miami Public Schools, to see their award-winning magnet programs and performing arts schools.

“Miami is doing some great things, and I thought we learned a lot. There’s a lot of things that they’re doing that we want to do. And it gives us context to see what it looks like years from now,” said Dr. Sito Narcisse, EBR Schools Superintendent.

It comes as EBR School officials are looking to create something similar for students who enjoy the arts, in the Capital City.

“We’re going to be, the Broadmoor Middle School site will be decided, it’s a part of our tax plan, on what we should do with that site. I’m proposing for us to create a 6-12 (grade) visual performing arts,” said Dr. Narcisse.

“All we need is the building, the space. We already have the teachers, I think we have an arts community that’s viable and really have bought into this opportunity for our city,” said Sean Joffrion, Director of Fine Arts for EBR Schools.

The school system is looking to increase access and opportunities for students to attend magnet schools across Baton Rouge.

“How do we provide more options for families and kids across our city. And how do we make families and students choose us more to want to go to, and this is one part of the big puzzle that we’re doing,” said Narcisse.

Another huge focus was on workforce development and partnerships with folks like the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

“Being able to have the model of how the Miami Chamber is very involved in the school system, is an important lesson for us to take away,” said Adam Knapp, President, and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

If Miami Dade County Public Schools can go from a struggling system to one of the top-performing in the state of Florida, Superintendent Narcisse says it’s possible in the Red Stick.

“Why not? I mean, they’re doing it with 300,000 plus kids. We have 40,000 plus students. I say this all the time, we have untapped potential in our city

The superintendent says this Miami tour is all about envisioning the future of what he calls, ‘The New East Baton Rouge Parish School System.’

He’s hopeful some of these new ideas and partnerships can be implemented soon, to benefit your kids.

On Tuesday, the focus of the tour will be career and technical education, partnerships, and accelerated academics.

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