Texas opens schoolroom doors wide

Public schools, meanwhile, are not the only ones putting out the welcome mat. Private schools throughout Texas are also enrolling evacuee students who apply and most are waiving tuition fees, which at some top-of-the-line parochial schools can rise above $15,000 per year.

"There are a lot of untied ends so far, but we want to get these students into school, in a stable environment, as soon as possible," says Bill Cheney, principal of The Branch School, a private school in West Houston. "We want these students to be in an environment where they will be cared for - that will help them rebuild their lives and give them a sense that they are moving on."

Second-grader Sidney Taylor, who enrolled in The Branch School two days after she evacuated the New Orleans area, says, "My new teacher is nice and the playground is bigger than my old school."

Dianna Taylor, Sidney's mom, was very concerned that Sidney would have a difficult adjustment after hurricane Katrina. The school, however, is giving her daughter stability during a turbulent time, she says, adding, "I'm a single mother and this is an emotional time. I'm grateful that The Branch School opened their arms."

Although many of Louisiana's private-school students are, out of necessity, enrolling in comparable Texas institutions, many families are dismayed that their sons or daughters might not graduate from a prestigious New Orleans high school. In New Orleans, diplomas from these schools are held in high esteem. In some instances, it is an engrained family tradition to graduate from these elite schools.

Sarah Ragusa would have been a senior at one of New Orleans's most prestigious Catholic all-girls' schools, Dominican. "My senior year was supposed to be the best," she says. "I was supposed to get my ring on Friday; I was supposed to go to a dance on Friday. Now I have to find a new school. I wanted to graduate from Dominican."

Her reluctance to enroll in a Houston school is echoed by her mother, who says she had hoped her daughter would graduate from her alma mater. "I'm sure that wherever she goes will be a good school," says Jamie Ragusa, "but it won't be Dominican."

Although Gulf Coast educators are thankful that Texas is educating their students, many are asking if their former students will return to their old schools

"It's great that Texas has taken our students at a time when we can't educate them," says Carol Roberts, director of Secondary Education and Technology in Plaquemines Parish, New Orleans. "But eventually, I think, people will come back home. It's human nature to rebuild - and I think that's what will happen. In the long run, our school will be better."

Hurricane Katrina has destroyed or damaged schools in at least six Louisiana parishes and two Mississippi counties, leaving thousands of teachers wondering if they still have jobs.

Louisiana Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard is not optimistic about teacher employment in heavily damaged areas. "Any teacher who is able," he says, "should apply for work in the school system in which they are taking shelter."

And if they can't find employment, the Louisiana Department of Education has notified teachers on its website that they are possibly eligible for temporary unemployment benefits.

On an Internet weblog from heavily flooded Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, many teachers have declared that they're looking for or have found employment elsewhere.

"I have nothing to go back to," said one teacher from St. Bernard Parish. "My home was destroyed and so was my school. I am currently looking for a job in Baton Rouge."

Some parishes are still trying to pay teachers, even though school will probably not be in session for months - if at all. "We can't just cut these people off," says Carol Roberts, an administrator in Plaquemines Parish. "We're going to attempt to make payroll for as long as is financially possible."

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