Opinion ID: 58409
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Motion for Unitary Status

Text: The district court granted the MCSD's motion for declaration of unitary status. The ultimate inquiry in determining whether a school district is unitary is whether (1) the school district has complied in good faith with desegregation orders for a reasonable amount of time, [3] and (2) the school district has eliminated the vestiges of prior de jure segregation to the extent practicable. See Hull v. Quitman County Bd. of Educ., 1 F.3d 1450, 1454 (5th Cir.1993); see also Freman, 503 U.S. at 492, 498, 112 S.Ct. 1430.
A school district seeking the termination of federal court supervision must first show that it has consistently complied with a court decree in good faith. Hull, 1 F.3d at 1454; see also Freeman, 503 U.S. at 498, 112 S.Ct. 1430 (A history of good-faith compliance is evidence that any current racial imbalance is not the product of a new de jure violation....). To meet this obligation, [for at least three years, the school board must report to the district court. Monteith v. St. Landry Parish Sch. Bd., 848 F.2d 625, 629 (5th Cir.1988). Further, the district in question must have for several years operated as a unitary system. Lemon v. Bossier Parish Sch. Bd., 444 F.2d 1400, 1401 (5th Cir.1971). Appellants make two related arguments concerning this prong. First, Appellants assert that the MCSD has not complied in good faith with the district court's orders, as evidenced by the MCSD's alleged failure to, inter alia, adequately support the magnet program and facilities at VJHS, construct an adequate music facility at Northeast Madison Middle School (NMMS), and to monitor minority hiring throughout the district. Second, Appellants argue that the district court erred in finding the MCSD unitary without first finding that it had been in compliance with desegregation orders for at least three years. According to Appellants, at the time the district court issued its Order, the MCSD had not yet completed several facilities projects, and had only recently completed others, indicating that the MCSD had not been in compliance for a reasonable amount of time. Appellants correctly observe that the district court did not expressly state that the MCSD had been in compliance with its desegregation orders for at least three years. However, following its thorough review of the evidence, the district court found that the MCSD worked in good faith to comply with the 2000 consent order since its adoption in April 2000. The district court's finding that the MCSD has complied in good faith with the 2000 consent decree is plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety. See Price, 945 F.2d at 1312 (internal quotation marks omitted). For example, the MCSD's good faith compliance is illustrated by the fact it has devoted a considerable amount of resources to renovating VJHS and implementing a new magnet program there. It has also implemented procedures to recruit minority teachers, established a biracial advisory committee, and fulfilled its reporting obligation to the district court. Further, the MCSD's compliance with the 2000 consent order since its adoption constitutes compliance for a reasonable amount of time. See Lemon, 444 F.2d at 1401. Thus, we find no error in the district court's analysis of the first prong.
Regarding the requirement that a school district eliminate the vestiges of prior de jure segregation to the extent practicable, every reasonable effort [must] be made to eradicate segregation and its insidious residue, although complete racial balance is not required. Ross v. Houston Indep. Sch. Dist., 699 F.2d 218, 227-28 (5th Cir.1983). Rather, the emphasis is on whether the school district has done all that it could to remedy the segregation caused by official action. Price, 945 F.2d at 1314; see also United States v. Fordice, 505 U.S. 717, 728, 112 S.Ct. 2727, 120 L.Ed.2d 575 (1992) ([W]e have consistently asked whether existing racial identiliability is attributable to the State....). To guide courts in determining whether the vestiges of de jure segregation have been eliminated as far as practicable, the Supreme Court has identified several aspects of school operations that must be considered, commonly referred to as the Green factors: student assignment, faculty, staff, transportation, extracurricular activities, and facilities. [4] See Bd. of Educ. of Okla. City Pub. Sch. v. Dowell, 498 U.S. 237, 250, 111 S.Ct. 630, 112 L.Ed.2d 715 (1991) (discussing Green v. County Sch. Bd. of New Kent County, 391 U.S. 430, 435, 88 S.Ct. 1689, 20 L.Ed.2d 716 (1968)).
Student assignment within a school district is relevant to determining whether a school district has remedied, to the extent possible, the vestiges of prior de jure segregation. Dowell, 498 U.S. at 250, 111 S.Ct. 630. While racial imbalance in a particular school is relevant for that purpose, racial imbalance, without more, does not violate the Constitution. Cavalier ex rel. Cavalier v. Caddo Parish Sch. Bd., 403 F.3d 246, 260 (5th Cir.2005). Once the racial imbalance [in student assignment] due to the de jure violation has been remedied, the school district is under no duty to remedy imbalance that is caused by demographic factors. Freeman, 503 U.S. at 494, 112 S.Ct. 1430; Price, 945 F.2d at 1314 (`[I]mmutable geographic factors and post-desegregation demographic changes that prevent the homogenation of all student bodies do not bar judicial recognition that the school system is unitary.' (quoting Ross, 699 F.2d at 225)). We note that the only objection Appellants appear to assert on appeal regarding student assignment is that the MCSD has allegedly failed to comply with court orders regarding the magnet program at VJHS and, as a result, the magnet program has failed to attract white students whose attendance would diversify that school and further eliminate the vestiges of prior segregation. [5] VJHS, located in Zone I, traditionally has been a one-race school, and had a 98.5% African-American student population in 2005. To encourage white students living in different zones to attend VJHS, and to enhance VJHS's educational curriculum, the parties agreed in 1990 to implement a magnet program at the school. In the 2000-2001 school year, the MCSD implemented a new magnet program at VJHS, called Eco-Journeys. Despite the MCSD's efforts to develop and promote the magnet program, the parties agree that the program failed to draw a significant number of white students to VJHS. The Government and Private Plaintiffs argued below that the failure to attract white students to the magnet program at VJHS is attributable to the MCSD's lack of a good faith commitment to the magnet program. Thus, they argued, the MCSD was not entitled to a finding of unitary status on this aspect of student assignment. The district court disagreed and held that the MCSD complied in good faith with the 2000 consent order and that the program failed to attract white students primarily because of demographic and cultural factors. On appeal, Appellants disagree with that conclusion and challenge the district court's findings that: (1) the implementation of the magnet program strengthened the curriculum at VJHS, (2) the magnet program had been adequately funded, (3) teacher inexperience at VJHS was not indicative of the MCSD's lack of good faith and did not affect the magnet program's success in attracting white students, (4) restructuring the administration at VJHS did not affect the magnet success in attracting white students, (5) the MCSD did not disregard known facilities deficiencies, and (6) no magnet program could attract white students to VJHS. In sum, Appellants claim that the district court erred by holding that the magnet program's inability to attract white students was attributable to demographic and cultural factors, as opposed to the deficiencies they alleged exist in the magnet program itself. The evidence supports the district court's conclusion that location and demographic factors outside the MCSD's control, as opposed to the alleged inadequacies cited by Appellants, were responsible for the magnet program's failure to attract white students. With that in mind, we briefly review the Appellants' arguments regarding the magnet program. First, Appellants argue that the magnet program weakened the curriculum at VJHS, contrary to the district court's assertion. Appellants cite nothing in the record, and we have found nothing, to support their contention. The magnet program at VJHS has received good reviews and the fact that VJHS may be rated lower than other schools, without more, simply does not lead to the conclusion that the magnet program has weakened the curriculum. [6] Additionally, evidence in the record supports the finding that, given VJHS's location, even an improved curriculum would not have made it successful in attracting white students. Second, Appellants argue that the magnet program was inadequately funded, in large part because the MCSD sought no outside funds after receiving a federal grant in 1998. The record shows that the new magnet program was initially funded by a federal grant of over $2.3 million and that the MCSD spent an additional $1.5 million from 2000-2006, not counting general operational funding or funding for instructional supplies, Appellants fail to explain why the MCSD was required to seek further outside funding, and have presented no evidence that additional funds would have made a significant difference in the number of white students enrolling in the magnet program. Appellants next argue that the inexperience of the teachers at VJHS demonstrates the MCSD's lack of good faith commitment to the magnet program and contributed to its failure to attract white students. The district court held that the MCSD made reasonable efforts to attract more experienced teachers to VJHS, and that it did not act in bad faith by refusing to exercise its authority to force more experienced teachers from other schools in the district to transfer to VJHS, because such a measure would have been counterproductive. Appellants have not shown that the MCSD's decision to not implement forced transfers was motivated by anything other than practical concerns about losing teachers to other districts. Further, Appellants have not shown that more experienced teachers at VJHS would have attracted more white students, and given the geographic challenges facing the magnet program, such a proposition would be doubtful at best. Thus, we find no clear error on this point. Relatedly, Appellants assert that the MCSD's restructuring of the administrative staff at VJHS affected the magnet program's success, contrary to the district court's finding. The restructuring at issue involved elimination of an administrative position located at the MCSD's central office and assigning control of the entire program to VJHS's principal. The district court held that the restructuring reasonably consolidated several functions in one on-site position, and that this action did not affect the magnet program's success. Again, we find no clear error in this conclusion. [7] Appellants next argue that an important factor contributing to the magnet program's failure to attract white students was the poor condition its facilities, at least prior to renovations in 2005. [8] The Government's expert, Dr. Gordon, reported that in January 2005 the physical facilities at VJHS were ill-equipped and in a state of general disrepair. Dr. Gordon conceded, however, that by the time of the district court's hearing on the MCSD's motion, the MCSD had fixed many of the problems he previously noted and that VJHS's classrooms were comparable to those at other high schools in the district. Appellants do not appear to object to the current state of VJHS's classrooms. Instead, they argue that the MCSD disregarded known deficiencies in facilities prior to 2005 because it did not begin renovations until after Dr. Gordon issued his report in January 2005. They also contend that the athletic facilities at VJHS are substandard. The district court acknowledged that, if the evidence showed that the MCSD disregarded known facilities' deficiencies, it likely would have failed in its duty to act in good faith to establish and maintain the magnet program. However, the court found that the evidence indicated that the facility was, generally in good repair, and that no evidence supported the claim that the MCSD was aware or should have been aware of the problems cited by Dr. Gordon in his report. Further, the district court found that the alleged state of disrepair of the athletic facilities at VJHS did not play a significant role in the failure of the magnet program. We find that the evidence relied upon by the district court supports this conclusion. Lastly, and most fundamentally, Appellants take issue with the district court's ultimate conclusion that no matter the quality of the program, the facilities, the teachers, [and] regardless of how much money is spent, no magnet program is going to draw white students to [VJHS], at least not in numbers sufficient to affect the racial imbalance of the school. The district court thoroughly documented the MCSD's efforts to develop a successful magnet program, and based on its review, found that the failure of the program to attract white students was not attributable to the MCSD's actions or lack of good faith. Instead, the court found that the magnet program's goal of attracting white students was doomed because of location and cultural factors that were not attributable to the MCSD. We find no error in these findings. The evidence confirms that the MCSD devoted considerable time and resources in a good faith effort to establish the magnet program. Moreover, the record also supports the conclusion that the magnet program's inability to attract white students resulted from VJHS's very inconvenient location. [9] Testimony confirmed that VJHS is geographically distant from the large number of students in Zone II, as well as from businesses and cultural opportunities. For example, the MCSD's superintendent testified that it is approximately forty miles between the, schools in the south end of the MCSD and VJHS. Dr. Rossell, an expert for the MCSD, opined that while the magnet program may have succeeded at a different location, I don't think there's any magnet program that could be designed that would overcome those issues, location, distance, and the difference in socioeconomic status. In sum, the district court did not err in finding that the MCSD acted in good faith and that its efforts to implement a successful magnet at VJHS were reasonable. Moreover, any evidence that additional resources might have improved the alleged deficiencies in the magnet program must yield to the reality that the school's location presented an apparently insurmountable challenge to attracting white students. Given the evidence documenting this challenge and the evidence confirming the MCSD's substantial efforts to implement a successful magnet program, the district court's findings concerning the magnet program and student assignment are plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety and are not clearly erroneous. See Price, 945 F.2d at 1312 (internal quotation marks omitted).
Another consideration in determining whether a school district has eliminated the vestiges of prior de jure segregation to the extent practicable is whether school facilities are adequate. Green, 391 U.S. at 435, 88 S.Ct. 1689. Appellants argue that (1) facilities at VJHS were substandard prior to 2005, (2) that the baseball field and football stadium at VJHS do not compare favorably with others in the district, and (3) it is unacceptable that the music program at one primarily African-American middle school, Northeast Madison Middle School (NMMS), is housed in a portable building. [10] The district court held that the challenged school facilities are adequate. The court noted that, of the four schools in Zone 1, where VJHS is located, two are new and two have been renovated. Regarding athletic facilities, the district court noted that the MCSD was making improvements to VJHS's football stadium, and that while the VJHS baseball field was not as nice as others in the district, there was less interest in baseball at VJHS compared to other sports. Regarding the music program at NMMS, the district court pointed out that the school has a music room in the main building, but due to excessive noise, the principal moved the music program to portable buildings away from classrooms in order to avoid disturbance. The court acknowledged that the school's design may have been flawed, but pointed out that the MCSD relied upon assurances from the architect that the same configuration had, been used successfully at other schools. The court held that [ilndisputably, the alleged inadequacy of the music facility at [NMMS] is not a vestige of former segregation practices, nor a result of the District's inattention to the needs of the students at the school, and certainly not the product of intentional discrimination. The court concluded: The proof unequivocally shows that the [MCSD] has undertaken to address known relevant deficiencies at all its schools, and to provide adequate and proper educational facilities for all its students, both black and white. We find no error in these conclusions. First, it is undisputed that the MCSD was in the process of making improvements to the football facilities at VJHS prior to the district court's ruling. Additionally, although the record supports Appellants' claim that the VJHS baseball field pales in comparison to the one at Ridgeland High School, which is also in the MCSD, the record does not show that the baseball field at VJHS is inadequate. Further, a number of improvements to the Ridgeland High School baseball field were the result of private fund-raising efforts. Regarding the allegedly inadequate music facilities at NMMS, Appellants have failed to establish that the decision to move the music program from the main building to portables is a vestige of past discrimination. [11]
Faculty and staff issues are also relevant under Green. Dowell, 498 U.S. at 250, 111 S.Ct. 630. In Singleton v. Jackson Municipal Separate School District, we announced several requirements for hiring and assigning faculty and staff in schools under desegregation orders. See 419 F.2d 1211, 1217-18 (5th Cir.1969) (en banc), rev'd in part sub. nom., Carter v. West Feliciana Parish Sch. Bd., 396 U.S. 290, 90 S.Ct. 608, 24 L.Ed.2d 477 (1970). Only two of the Singleton requirements are relevant here. First, a school must show that faculty and staff who work directly with children are assigned in such a manner that the racial composition of the faculty and staff would not indicate that the school is intended for either African-American or white students. Id. Second, discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in the hiring, assignment, promotion, pay, demotion or dismissal of faculty members and administrative staff is prohibited. Fort Bend Ind. Sch. Dist. v. Stafford, 651 F.2d 1133, 1138 (5th Cir.1981) (discussing Singleton, 419 F.2d at 1217-18). We have made clear that these requirements do not establish an arbitrary racial quota. See id. at 1139. The 2000 consent, Order required the MCSD to meet its Singleton obligation by ensuring that the faculty composition at each school in the district is within a 15% range of the district-wide ratio of African-American to white teachers. Appellants claim the MCSD has failed to satisfy its obligation and that this failure is due, in large part, the MCSD's unwillingness to exercise is power to force teachers to transfer. Appellants further contend that the MCSD's hiring is not centralized, making it difficult to monitor how many minorities apply for, and are considered, for teaching positions district-wide. Lastly, Appellants accuse the MCSD of paying minority administrators inequitably. The MCSD admits that it has failed to satisfy the required faculty ratio at VJHS, but claims it has expended its best efforts to bring more white teachers to the school. The MCSD explains that it has not forced teachers to transfer because that effort would be counterproductive and would lead to teachers leaving the district entirely. Further, the MCSD points out that in the 2005-2006 school year, the faculty at VJHS was 44% white, 47% African-American, and 8% other, a composition that would not indicate that VJHS is intended for either African-American or white students. The district court, having heard testimony from the MCSD's superintendent and its personnel director, concluded that every principal is keenly aware of Singleton's requirements and the requirements of the 2000 consent order as it relates to faculty hiring. The court also found that the only options remedy the faculty assignment problem, are forced faculty transfers or increased pay for faculty who agree to transfer. Regarding the first option, the court found the that MCSD's decision not to force teachers to transfer was reasonable, given the risk that the district would likely lose teachers to other districts under such a policy. Regarding the second option, the court noted that increased pay, beyond what is authorized by statute, is apparently prohibited by state law. Further, the district court concluded that the MCSD's method for determining administrator pay, including consideration of such factors as the size of the school, grade levels taught at the school, and experience, was rational and non-discriminatory. The MCSD has not satisfied its requirement to ensure that the faculty composition at each school in the district is within a 15% range of the district-wide ratio of African-American to white teachers. However, the MCSD provided the district court with considerable evidence that each school is aware of its Singleton obligation and that it has worked aggressively to ensure that each of its schools is staffed with a diverse faculty. As to VJHS, we note that while falling short of the requirement of the 2000 consent decree, the faculty composition is, in fact, quite diverse. Furthermore, the MCSD has documented its extensive minority recruitment efforts, which includes recruiting at predominantly African-American colleges and universities in Mississippi. And there is no evidence that the MCSD's faculty and staff employment and assignment practices, or its compensation scheme for administrators, is currently discriminatory or that the district did not adequately remedy the adverse effects of prior de jure segregation. See Stafford, 651 F.2d at 1140 (holding, that Singleton requirements are satisfied if the district's current employment practices are non-discriminatory and in compliance with the Constitution and the adverse effects of any prior unlawful employment practices have been adequately remedied). Lastly, the MCSD's expert, Dr. Rossell, evaluated the available information and opined that the MCSD has met the standard for unitary status on this factor because it has racially balanced its staff to the extent practicable and [is] comparable to the level of other districts that have attained unitary status. Based on the evidence in the record, the district court did not clearly err in finding the MCSD unitary regarding faculty and staff policies.