The Tucson Unified School District has been slapped down again by federal Judge David Bury for its scheme to expand grade levels at Sabino High School.
Bury agreed with the plaintiffs in the decades old desegregation case that Superintendent H.T. Sanchez’s scheme would increase the racial imbalance.
The judge approved a reconfiguration of Drachman Montessori K-6 Magnet School and denied the other four requests for grade reconfigurations.
“I applaud the judge’s ruling and hope that this will send a message loud and clear to the District administration and majority on the Board that they should be willing to work with the plaintiffs in a collaborative manner so that we don’t continue to fight losing court battles and wasting money that would be better spent in the classroom,” stated Board member Michael Hicks. “The idea that this administration can bully its way out of this desegregation order is unacceptable.”
The judge ruled: “… the [1884] Report and Recommendation is adopted in part and rejected in part. Further ordered that the Notice and Requests for Approval (NARA) (1869) is approved in part as to the reconfiguration of Drachman K-6 to a K-8 school. It is further ordered that the NARA (1869) is not approved in part as for TUSDs plan to reconfigure Borman K-5 to a K-8 school. It is further ordered that the NARA is not approved to reconfigure Fruchthendler and Collier elementary schools to add the 6th grade and to add a middle school (7th and 8th grades) at Sabino High School. The Court approves the NARA in respect to TUSDs plan to add express bussing and the AVID and AP programs at Magee Middle School and Advanced Learning Experiences (ALEs) such as GATE and pre-AP classes.”
Despite the fact that the District was clearly acting to serve Anglo students with the requested reconfigurations, according to sources, District officials intend to accuse the African American plaintiffs of lying to the Court about the racial make-up of the schools in question. The District will likely appeal the ruling.
Rather than comply with the court orders, TUSD has actively fought integration of its schools, under the direction of the Grijalva political dynasty and thus has remained under a desegregation order for over 30 years. Many believe that the District does not want integration because it may lose the additional monies it receives from taxpayers to work on integration.