If you feel a little confused as to what is going with the desegregation funding in the three Pulaski County School Districts, join the club. On May 19, U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller released the state from the majority of its financial responsibility in the 1989 desegregation settlement agreement. Since that time, there have been numerous appeals, a state takeover of one of the schools involved in the case, and a recusal from the case by Judge Miller.
In this post, we wade through the murky waters of the Little Rock Desegregation Case.
- March 1989: This archived article published in the New York Times highlights the original agreement in the Little Rock de-seg case. According to the Times, the State of Arkansas was to pay $104 million over the next 10 years (read: until 1999) to finance education programs that would “overcome the effects of illegal segregation”. This from the Times:
- According to the newspaper accounts, the settlement calls for these things:
* The state to pay the Little Rock district $59.1 million over 10 years for compensatory education programs, plus other desegregation expenses, and the North Little Rock district $2.7 million in seven annual payments.
* The state to pay the Pulaski County district as much as $16 million over five years.
* The state to block construction of any school in a county bordering Pulaski County if the new school would hurt desegregation of schools in Pulaski County.
Fast forward 20+years:
- May 19, 2011: Judge Brian Miller rules to cease the majority of the desegregation funding. At times, the tone of the ruling, which can be found here courtesy of Arkansas Times, was almost scathing:
- May 20, 2011: The ruling was praised by Governor Beebe, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, and legislators in Arkansas. Legislators immediately began making plans regarding how the funds should be spent.
- May 21, 2011: The three Little Rock schools file a notice of appeal. Shortly after, the Attorney General releases a response stating that the LRSD will not be harmed if federal appeals court refuses to temporarily stop the judge’s order to end the state’s financial obligation.
- June 4, 2011: 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals issues a one-sentence order denying an emergency stay of Judge Miller’s order to end state desegregation aid: Appellant’s motion for stay is denied as prematurely filed.”
- Monday, June 20, 2011: State takes over Pulaski County Special School District (and Helena-West Helena School District-although this is unrelated) due to poor financial reporting. North Little Rock maintains fiscal distress status, but is not taken over.
- Tuesday, June 21, 2011: A federal court temporarily restores funding and denies a request for an expedited process for appeals. This simply means the $3.5 million in monthly aid payments will be resumed until the appeal process rolls through as was previously scheduled.
- June 24, 2011: Judge Miller cites a conflict of an interest due to his relations in the Helena-West Helena School District, (both PCSSD and Helena-West Helena were taken over by state; however, Helena-West Helena had nothing to do with the desegregation payments) and recuses himself from the Pulaski County school districts’ desegregation case.
- Federal Judge Price Marshall takes over the case, but has conflict of interest issues to deal with himself. Attorneys have until Thursday, July 12, to file papers on whether they believe Marshall should step aside. He is the 5th judge to take the case.