New Orleans Military Base Charter School Starts Expansion

Construction is under way on a $6 million expansion of Belle Chasse Academy, a K-8 charter school on Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.

Work on the 26,600-square-foot facility began in July 2011 and is expected to be completed by July 2012.

The new building, adjacent to the original 92,000-square-foot school that opened in 2002, will include a roughly 410-seat auditorium with a balcony, five standard classrooms, two art classrooms, two music classrooms, four practice breakout rooms, a nurse’s station/exam room and a wellness/fitness room for teachers and staff, according to school officials.

The expansion will enable the school to better accommodate its current and expected level enrollment of 950 students. For example, five classes are now in modular units and some music and art teachers must be mobile, using carts.

The project is being financed through a $21 million, 30-year tax-exempt bond issue that includes refinancing of the original school facility. The average interest rate on the debt is 6.6 percent. The bonds were sold through the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority.