July 3, 2019
Mr. Raphael Gang, President
Mr. Kevin George, CEO
New Beginnings School Foundation
5800 St. Roch Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70122
Re: Notice of Non-Compliance, Level 2: Contractual Obligations- Outstanding Submissions

Dear Mr. Gang and Mr. George,
On June 7, 2019, the Orleans Parish School Board issued a Notice of Non-Compliance, Level 2, given
that New Beginnings School Foundation was deemed non-compliant with its contractual obligations due
to the following areas of non-compliance:
1. Multiple allegations of grade changes, the most concerning are the allegations around changes
that affect student qualifications for graduation.
2. Failure to have safeguards in place to prevent staff and leadership from accessing systems to alter
student files and records after being put on notice of possible misconduct.
3. Allegations that public records (i.e. board meeting minutes) were falsified or otherwise altered.
4. Allegations that contracts were procured in violation of NBSF’s board policies.
Over the past few months, OPSB has engaged with NBSF to gather specific information to inform and
assist in our role as authorizer of the charter school. Specifically:
1. On April 2, 2019, OPSB formally requested information regarding the recent allegations against
NBSF & Independent Investigation.
2. On April 24, 2019, OPSB followed up to the April 2, 2019 communication requesting further
information regarding the investigation being conducted by Adams and Reese.
3. On May 3, 2019, OPSB responded to the May 1, 2019 NBSF response outlining matters that
should take the utmost priority to resolve and requesting a written report at the conclusion of the
investigation.
4. On June 7, 2019, OPSB issued a Notice of Non-Compliance, Level 2 with specific action steps.
5. On June 20, 2019, OPSB staff met with both the NBSF Board Chair and CEO and requested a
series of documents related to the graduating seniors.
6. On June 25, 2019, OPSB issued additional remedy actions related to the Notice of NonCompliance, Level 2.
Based upon the above-mentioned engagements, the following items have yet to be submitted:
1. Details of any investigation into the aforementioned allegations, including nature of investigation,
documents reviewed, transcripts of interviews conducted, and any conclusions reached;
2. Any steps being taken to ensure that the integrity of the grading process is intact and to prevent
any unlawful grade manipulation in the future;
3. Any steps taken to ensure against unlawful tampering with official documents;
4. Any other reports or documents relevant to all the aforementioned allegations;

CC: Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr., Superintendent, Orleans Parish School Board

 5. Any reports or documents relevant to any additional allegations or concerns that may arise as a
result of investigations into the aforementioned allegations.
6. Confirmation that the investigative report will be provided to OPSB.
7. Clarity on whether the 3rd party investigation will include a review of any possible violations of
whistleblower laws as it relates to Dr. King’s dismissal by NBSF.
8. A written report at the conclusion of the investigation that should summarize the details of the
investigation, including documents reviewed and persons interviewed. This report should also
discuss any conclusions reached and summarize any corrective action taken or planned by NBSF
as a result of the investigation.
9. OPSB is requiring that NBSF submit a written plan of action that addresses actions to resolve any
issues for students related to the alleged grade changes.
a. If students’ ability to graduate was compromised, any steps to allow for students to
remedy this during the summer should be contemplated and explained.
b. This plan should be submitted to OPSB at the conclusion of NBSF’s investigation.
10. OPSB is requiring that NBSF submit revised policies and procedures that address the allegations
and prevent such allegations from occurring in the future.
a. Revised policies and procedures shall be submitted to OPSB at the conclusion of NBSF’s
investigation.
11. Written correspondence inclusive of any changes, remedies, and plan for the 19-20 school year,
specifically:
a. Financial Adjustments/Savings/Expenses
b. Credit Recovery Program and Plan
c. Organizational Chart (network and school specific)
12. NBSF shall submit a weekly summary report to OPSB inclusive of attendance reports, student
level progress towards graduation, interventions offered to students not progressing, and
communication to families on student level progress.
At this time, there are several outstanding items that OPSB has requested and NBSF has failed to provide.
It is critically important that your organization immediately comply with expectations set forth in the
charter contract and communications transmitted from OPSB regarding this matter. As previous
communications have indicated, OPSB continues to monitor this matter and failure to respond to the
required actions may result in revocation proceedings. If there are any questions or concerns, please do
not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in Education,

Kelli R. Peterson, Ed.D.
Chief Portfolio Innovation and Accountability Officer

CC: Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr., Superintendent, Orleans Parish School Board