New Orleans Converts Entire Public School System to Charters Post-Katrina, Firing All 7,500 Teachers

In the aftermath of Katrina, Louisiana used the disaster to convert New Orleans' public school system almost entirely into charter schools, firing all 7,500 public school teachers — predominantly Black women with union protections and pension benefits. Critics called it disaster capitalism that dismantled a Black institution. A 2012 civil rights complaint alleged the mass firings were racially discriminatory.