Opinion ID: 58409
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Faculty and staff assignment and pay

Text: 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.