Recent articles commemorated the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the US Supreme Court’s decision that supposedly ended racial discrimination in public education. One theme found in many of those articles is the “resegregation of neighborhoods and communities” and the resulting “resegregation of public schools”. I find that theme troubling. So, I researched it further. Here are five facts that I found:
• In 1998, Washington State passed Initiative 200 by 58.22%. It prohibited granting preferential treatment to anyone based upon race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
Find out what's happening in Woodinvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
• In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools could no longer pursue integration strategies based explicitly on race.
Find out what's happening in Woodinvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
• Across the U.S., per-student spending in public schools with 90% or more white students is 18% ($733) more per student on average than spending for public schools with 90% or more students of color.
• Apparently, 40% of that variation occurs “within” school districts.
• Schools today are as racially segregated as they were in the 1960’s.
This represents a theme that is totally contrary to the letter and spirit of Brown v. Board. We should all be distressed by this theme.
Since we are prohibited by the Washington State and U.S. Supreme Courts from crafting solutions based upon anything that looks like a racial preference, I once again issue my challenge to Washington state legislators.
Washington State needs to craft its own version of Student Improvement Grants programs that directs additional state resources to schools with significant "income disparity". That would avoid the prohibition against racial preferences and allow us to revitalize our public schools in the spirit of Brown v Board.