The Orleans Parish School Board is taking another swing at redeveloping the long-shuttered Israel Augustine Middle School after its first effort fizzled. Last week the board voted to broaden lease and financing options in hopes of finally luring a viable project to the century‑old South Broad Street building, which has sat vacant since Hurricane Katrina and now weighs on the district as a pricey maintenance problem.
On March 26 the board unanimously approved new language that lets OPSB consider “below market, nominal, community or public benefit or performance based lease terms” for projects that line up with neighborhood priorities, board member Gabriela Biro told Verite News. Biro said she hopes the shift will open the door for community groups and mission-driven operators willing to keep public value at the center of any deal.
Why the first round came up short
The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, or NORA, rolled out a request for qualifications and proposals in mid‑November for the Augustine site, setting a Feb. 6, 2026 deadline for teams interested in redeveloping the property at 425 S. Broad Street, according to the authority’s solicitation documents. The RFP included an optional information session and limited interior walkthroughs so would‑be developers could survey the damage and gauge renovation needs and costs.
NORA’s executive director, Brenda Breaux, told the school board the agency received only one proposal and deemed it non‑responsive to core priorities such as community engagement and solid financing, according to Verite News. She said the 75‑day window did not give potential respondents much time to pull together complex funding packages and noted that the Orleans Public Defenders’ office “were feverishly trying to pull it together” but could not submit in time. Breaux also warned that the building’s worsening condition and its proximity to the Orleans Parish Criminal Court make the project tougher to pull off, and NORA’s presentation estimated redevelopment costs could climb to $50 million.
NORA's next steps
Breaux told the board that NORA plans to reopen the solicitation with a longer response period so developers can assemble more detailed financing plans and community‑engagement strategies, with recommendations expected to return to the school board this summer, per NORA. Under the partnership between NORA and OPSB, the district would serve as long‑term landlord for whichever occupant is chosen, keeping the property dedicated to public or community uses while generating some revenue for NOLA Public Schools.
The Augustine campus is one of several NOLA Public Schools properties left vacant after Hurricane Katrina, creating ongoing maintenance costs and neighborhood eyesores, WDSU reported. NORA and OPSB are also advancing redevelopment plans for the Valena C. Jones school, although that historic campus carries a nearly 100‑year‑old donation restriction that requires an educational component in any proposal, according to WWNO.
