TUSD forced busing may stop under federal ruling
by Konstantinos Kalaitzidis on Aug. 22, 2007, under Local
Forced busing of 1,600 TUSD students could stop and students’ school choices might grow under a federal judge’s order Tuesday that apparently signals the end of a 27-year-old desegregation lawsuit.
Still, Tucson Unified School District must account for how it has eliminated “any vestiges of . . . segregation” to the “extent practicable,” U.S. District Judge David C. Bury ruled.
“After 27 years and close to $800,000,000 spent in public funds, the public is entitled to a clear, comprehensive record” regarding how the district has complied with the federal desegregation order and that segregation has ended, Bury wrote.
The district was allowed to levy extra taxes to comply with the initial 1978 desegregation order. While TUSD has been operating under the order for 29 years, the court considers the duration shorter because TUSD challenged the order two years ago.
The interim order requires TUSD to meet with the attorneys of those who sued within 11 days and provide documents within 30 days to demonstrate the district’s good faith in resolving issues raised in the class-action lawsuit.
The lawsuit proved TUSD maintained three-way segregation, separating white, black and Hispanic students. The district’s demographics have changed since 1978, but TUSD remained under the order to maintain certain racial balances at specific schools.
That meant some students were involuntarily removed from neighborhood schools. Tuesday’s ruling calls that policy unconstitutional because it discriminates against students based on race.
Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer expressed guarded optimism that the district could be released from the desegregation court order within 50 days. “We have a meeting later this week with our attorneys. We need clarification on some of the wording in the order,” he said.
The attorneys for those who sued could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Related story:
TUSD likely to keep deseg funds for now
Citizen online staffer Dylan Smith contributed to this article.
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TUSD likely to keep deseg funds for now
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