Wednesday, February 28, 2007
LRSD gets a break
Federal Judge Bill Wilson has ruled that the Little Rock School District as attained “unitary” status. That means that the district has complied with court rulings and settlement’s terms and will no longer be subject to court oversight.
This is major news. It is somewhat shocking, especially in light of the apparent strong possibility that the district was not being completely straight on statistics about black students’ academic improvements. Nonetheless, justice has been served. It would be much more beneficial for African-American students for school dollars to be spent on program instead of litigations.
This decision could shut down a small industry, but lawyers never seem to lack for work. This may be an opportunity for the state to take a fresh look at spending in Pulaski County’s districts. This was bound to happen one of these days. We should all hope that this begins an era in which the district, now free of the constant burden of court reports, begins to make improvements that might even encourage white parents to put their children back into the public schools. For once, something that takes into account the good of the children. Good for you, Judge Wilson.
(Broadcast February 26, 2007)
This is major news. It is somewhat shocking, especially in light of the apparent strong possibility that the district was not being completely straight on statistics about black students’ academic improvements. Nonetheless, justice has been served. It would be much more beneficial for African-American students for school dollars to be spent on program instead of litigations.
This decision could shut down a small industry, but lawyers never seem to lack for work. This may be an opportunity for the state to take a fresh look at spending in Pulaski County’s districts. This was bound to happen one of these days. We should all hope that this begins an era in which the district, now free of the constant burden of court reports, begins to make improvements that might even encourage white parents to put their children back into the public schools. For once, something that takes into account the good of the children. Good for you, Judge Wilson.
(Broadcast February 26, 2007)
