Inch by inch and school by school, the Tucson Unified School District administration is dismantling the agreement entered into by all of the parties in the 30 year old desegregation plan. On Tuesday night, the majority of the Board voted to ensure court oversight for possibly years to come when they approved the expansion of enrollment in predominately white schools.
The belief by administration is that the lucrative desegregation dollars will continue to flow into the District while it maintains its low standards and segregated classrooms.
The families affected schools have been sold by administration on the plan and much like the parents of Ochoa Elementary, the District has played on their worst fears to win that support.
While the K-8 model is being rejected across the country, the TUSD administration is embracing it with the promise, according to one District source, that students who attend the schools in question will be able to remain with their people longer and will not have to mix with those people.
The African American plaintiffs’ representative argued, “It is extremely unsettling that the district again proposes to alleviate white flight from the district by endorsing white flight within the district.”
Sabino parents do not want their children to attend Magee Middle School where they would likely mix with a mix of kids. Expanding grades might encourage parents to keep their kids in the District by creating what amounts to be a publically funded private school.
The District has primarily created “magnet schools” that are not magnetic on the south side, and has made no effort to attract minority students through the creation of magnet programs in the predominately white east side schools.
Special Master Hawley argued, “The proposed changes in the demography at Magee will undermine the diversity and rigor of the curriculum and almost certainly cause white parents now satisfied with Magee to look elsewhere. Magee needs to be strengthened not weakened.”
All of this will surely result in an expensive and prolonged legal battle and secure the “need” for desegregation funding which will eventually be spent on even more legal fees.
Stegeman said that he was impressed with those who supported the Sabino plan, “but I think if you are trying to form a partnership, you don’t just say I am right and you are wrong. Part of building a team is making compromises. I think we should change our practices across the Board. The Special Master was opposed to this at first, not on the merits, but on process.” Stegeman said that he commended staff on developing a process to study the matter, “but the Special Master and the plaintiffs still oppose it. My third and final concern; and I could be wrong, that given the opposition by the Special Master and the plaintiffs, I don’t think it will win court approval.”
Hicks said he opposed it because he had heard from parents who were concerned that middle school children would be on a high school campus.
“I don’t want to see Sabino, an “A” school, that has raised generations of students close,” stated Grijalva, playing on the fears that Sabino would close if expansion was denied.
Betts Putnam Hidalgo addressed the Board during the call to the audience. She stated that the District has two major problems, “First, its mishandling of the desegregation case has dragged it out for more than 40 years, and the last 3 years have been particularly bad. For example, none of the majority Board members questioned the reduction in funding for the magnet schools – at least in public – even as the finger of guilt at this time was being pointed studiously pointed away from the District. Second, the District has really crossed the line, the lack of transparency doesn’t approach dishonesty – it’s there. And all of this is happening with less oversight than ever. Whether it’s the so-called “Audit Committee” to the magnet budgets the public should not have to hopscotch from one document to another to figure out what is really happening. Meanwhile the desegregation case looks like a case of domestic violence. The adults in the room are fighting and the kids are not being fed or put to bed. This has got to stop.” She concluded, “I urge you to disappear the campaign against the Special Master and the Mendoza plaintiffs and come clean about magnet budgets and other use of taxpayer funds. Educate the kids.”
The professional photographer, who had captured images throughout the evening of Dr. Sanchez, was nowhere to be seen during Ms. Putnam Hidlago’s presentation.