The report also shows that most urban charter and district schools are serving equal numbers of English language learners as well as students in poverty and special education.

After meeting with leaders from a dozen of the nation's largest school districts, the president also said there would be a "major debate" if a Republican budget did not reflect investment in the programs that are leading to improvements in urban schools.

Among the topics for discussion, the rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act, early childhood education, assessments, college and career ready standards, and the My Brother's Keeper program.

Tommy Chang, a high-level administrator from the Los Angeles Unified School District, will be paid $257,000 annually.

After Hurricane Katrina prompted the evacuation of the city and shut down schools in 2005, the employees went to court to try and thwart wholesale dismissals as the state of Louisiana moved to take over most New Orleans public schools.

Louisiana Superintendent John White will take over as the group's new chairman.

More than $300 million has been donated by foundations and corporations to boost the My Brother's Keeper-aligned initiatives, along with pledges of support from nearly 200 mayors, tribal leaders, and county executives.

Gov. Nathan Deal proposed a constitutional amendment to create an "Opportunity School District," which will give the state power to take over chronically low-performing schools.

The fast-growing Clark County district, which includes Las Vegas, has seven "shovel-ready" projects on tap, with 12 school scheduled to open in 2017 and plans to make additions to 40 other schools.

As of last summer, the school system had outstanding debt and long-term obligations of more than $2.2 billion