The Business Council of New Orleans is a public-private partnership for economic development whose mission is to speak with “one principled voice to frame public policy issues and to focus on making the Greater New Orleans community and the state of Louisiana an attractive place to work.”
Just like Pro Bono Publico Foundation, GNOF and GNOEF, the Business Council’s leadership has played an instrumental role in the takeover and privatization of public schools in New Orleans. Leslie Rosenthal-Jacobs is an executive committee board member. Paul H. Flower is the chairman of the Business Council, and he sat with BESE representative James Garvey on the “Master Plan Oversight Committee” under the Scott Cowen Institute for Public Education at Tulane University.
Additionally, the Business Council is a founding member and leader of the Forward New Orleans for Public Schools coalition. In the last OPSB election, Forward New Orleans sought a pledge in support of their six-point platform from OPSB candidates. According to its website, Forward New Orleans for Public Schools “does not seek to resolve the question of governance or control.” However, to receive Forward New Orleans’ endorsement, candidates had to commit to “coordination with the RSD,” as well as the common enrollment process, such as the One App.
