Desegregation delay granted

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a stay in the Pulaski County desegregation case. So we go on and on. But of course they get to keep their extra desegregation money from the state.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has argued for a long time that the districts are not using these funds for desegregation purposes, but they are filling holes in their budgets with it. And they are most concerned about keeping the flow of money coming their way, so they don't want the desegregation case to end. See this recent statement.

The ADG this morning quoted him as saying, "The basis for the State’s current supplemental payments to the districts was as a remedy for alleged constitutional violations in student to school assignments.

“Rather than being necessary to remedy segregation, the court-ordered supplemental desegregation distributions had become an impediment, encouraging the districts to remain in litigation as long as possible in order to continue receiving funds.”

According to McDaniel, the districts have sufficient financial reserves to absorb the loss of desegregation funds. Their attorneys of course have denied McDaniel’s argument.

PCSSD is crossways with the state

A legislative panel recommends the removal of the PCSSD board. The issue seems to be extravagant travel policies when the district is already in financial distress. The state could removed the superintendent and even parcel out the district to other school districts.

Arkansas can end desegregation funding

Federal Judge Brian Miller handed down a huge ruling yesterday. He said the three Pulaski County, Arkansas, school district are sufficiently unified that state desegregation funding, which amounts to $70 million a year, can be ended. The reaction as far as I can tell from press reports is consternation on the part of all parties. Nobody knows what this will actually mean, because the funds were used for all kinds of things besides reducing segregation, which in fact ended years and years ago.

See the ADG's article here, thought the printed paper has more detail. See Miller's ruling here (PDF file).

Judge Miller, who described himself as a middle-aged black man, ruled that the state funding actually provided the school districts with an incentive for not fully complying with the desegregation order. If they did, their extra funding would be cut off. Exactly so. Obviously this was the opposite of what was intended. Typical, right?

Quoting Judge Miller:

The problem with this process is that it results in an absurd outcome in which the districts are rewarded with extra money from the state if they fail to comply with their desegregation plans and they face having their funds cut by the state if they act in good faith and comply.
It seems that the State of Arkansas is using a carrot and stick approach with these districts but that the districts are wise mules that have learned how to eat the carrot and sit down on the job.

Max Brantley sums up comments here. 

Talk Business: AG Dustin McDaniel says that desegregation funds in Pulaski County can't be accounted for. We're talking about $70 million a year!

Desegregation funding scandal

According to news reports this morning, the Pulaski County, Arkansas, school districts have received $1 billion in the past 27 or so years that was intended to carry out their desegregation plans. But Attorney General Dustin McDaniel cites a recent report that shows they have spent the money on who knows what else. Football? School officials have had no guidelines at all about how to spend these funds.

This whole situation is a scandal. McDaniel's point is probably that this special funding has to end. The State of Arkansas wants out, but doesn't know how to get out. After almost 30 years, the three school districts are, guess what, desegregated. Other school districts around the state are in need of more funding. But there are interests who want to keep the desegregation money flowing.

Here's an article that contains links to the full reports.