Opinion ID: 619919
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Scholarships

Text: Section I of Plan 2000 requires PCSSD to establish a bi-racial committee to explore a program for providing college scholarships to designated PCSSD students within 30 days after LRSD established such a program. LRSD established its program in April 1999, but PCSSD did not establish its exploratory committee until 2002. In April 2003, PCSSD's committee finally stated that funds were not available to finance any scholarships and that it would award scholarships when funds were available. To date, no scholarships have been awarded. The district court found that PCSSD failed to act in good faith to explore ways to make college scholarships available. PCSSD argues that it complied with Plan 2000 simply by establishing the committee, albeit three years late. However, merely establishing a committee is insufficient under Section I unless the committee made a genuine good-faith effort to explore a program for providing college scholarships to designated PCSSD students. PCSSD directs us to no evidence that its committee made any effort whatsoever after April 2003 to balance potential scholarship funding against other priorities or to develop any parameters for evaluating how or when such a program might become feasible. Yet again, PCSSD has done nothing to demonstrate to the public and the parents and students of the once disfavored race that it intends to honor its commitment in good faith. See Freeman, 503 U.S. at 491, 112 S.Ct. 1430. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of unitary status for PCSSD in the area of scholarships.