Tangipahoa zones won’t change in 2008-09
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The Tangipahoa Parish School Board’s lead desegregation attorney disclosed the district’s school attendance zones would remain the same during the 2008-09 school year while a parishwide school desegregation plan is hammered out, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Charles Patin Jr. told the School Board Tuesday that the plan would not begin to be implemented until after the spring 2009 semester and would likely take several years beyond that to become fully operational, said Cindy Benitez, school district spokeswoman.
Benitez said the plaintiffs in the school desegregation litigation would likely get a draft of the plan in mid-September.
Federal court documents indicated that school officials had hoped to have the plan filed with the court by early July, but school attorneys have since gotten a delay, Benitez said.
Patin’s assessment of the plan’s timeline comes as parents from the southwest and northeast-central parts of the parish have raised worries about imminent attendance zone changes.
Benitez said Patin did tell members that although changes to existing attendance zones would be necessary, they would carried out in combination with voluntary measures, such as majority-to-minority, magnet school, academic and hardship transfers.
Patin also told members that new schools would have to be built “in order to effect the desegregation of the school system without involuntary busing of students,” Benitez said.
“Current taxing structures for capital improvements will have to be examined and funding sources will be required for facility needs,” Benitez said Patin told members.
School officials previously discussed a new parishwide tax to be proposed possibly in 2009 in connection with the desegregation plan, which has not been disclosed. The plan is being developed pursuant to ongoing litigation.
Patin told members that only six schools in the system of more than 19,600 students could be defined as desegregated this past school year. Patin also advised the board that that having a half-dozen schools fully integrated is not legally sufficient for the system to be declared unitary, Benitez said.
Patin told members that the public would be allowed input before the plan goes to federal court for final approval, Benitez said.
Charles Patin Jr. told the School Board Tuesday that the plan would not begin to be implemented until after the spring 2009 semester and would likely take several years beyond that to become fully operational, said Cindy Benitez, school district spokeswoman.
Benitez said the plaintiffs in the school desegregation litigation would likely get a draft of the plan in mid-September.
Federal court documents indicated that school officials had hoped to have the plan filed with the court by early July, but school attorneys have since gotten a delay, Benitez said.
Patin’s assessment of the plan’s timeline comes as parents from the southwest and northeast-central parts of the parish have raised worries about imminent attendance zone changes.
Benitez said Patin did tell members that although changes to existing attendance zones would be necessary, they would carried out in combination with voluntary measures, such as majority-to-minority, magnet school, academic and hardship transfers.
Patin also told members that new schools would have to be built “in order to effect the desegregation of the school system without involuntary busing of students,” Benitez said.
“Current taxing structures for capital improvements will have to be examined and funding sources will be required for facility needs,” Benitez said Patin told members.
School officials previously discussed a new parishwide tax to be proposed possibly in 2009 in connection with the desegregation plan, which has not been disclosed. The plan is being developed pursuant to ongoing litigation.
Patin told members that only six schools in the system of more than 19,600 students could be defined as desegregated this past school year. Patin also advised the board that that having a half-dozen schools fully integrated is not legally sufficient for the system to be declared unitary, Benitez said.
Patin told members that the public would be allowed input before the plan goes to federal court for final approval, Benitez said.
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