Face It: Desegregation Has Always Been Bad For Tucson

Judge approves plan that lifts longstanding desegregation order

It’s taken almost 40 years and $1 billion in public spending for an Arizona judge to finally see how bad a school desegregation order has been for black children in Tucson. On Wednesday, a federal judge approached a plan to lift a longstanding desegregation order that Rubin Salter Jr., the lawyer representing black plaintiffs in the lawsuit, says is the reason a lot that has gone wrong. The order was supposed to support black and Latino families’ rights to a good education. Instead, black students are among the lowest performing in the Tucson Unified School District,. They are also among the most likely to be suspended or to be assigned to special-education programs and least likely to join groups for gifted students. Latinos, who make up 62 percent of the district’s student, are experiencing the same issues. Salter, who has been on the case since 1974, says they are “still getting the short end of the stick.” The judge's decision means the district can do more to keep white students from leaving the district and improve the quality of teachers and the curriculum assigned to schools where minority students attend. (New York Times)

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]