Opinion ID: 531041
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Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Racial Composition of the DeKalb County School System

Text: 5 The DeKalb County School System (DCSS) serves 79,991 students in more than 90 schools. 1 Black students constitute 47-percent of the DCSS population. Despite the system's racial balance, 50-percent of the black students attend schools with black populations of more than 90-percent. Similarly, 27-percent of the DCSS's white students attend schools with white populations of more than 90-percent. 2 The DCSS operates a segregated school system. 6 The DCSS maintains several programs to combat segregation. First, the DCSS maintains a Minority-to-Majority program (M-to-M program) that permits students to transfer from schools in which their race is a majority to schools in which their race is a minority. Approximately 4,500 students, almost all black, participate in the M-to-M program. Second, the DCSS maintains a magnet school program that includes a performing arts program, two science programs, and a foreign language program. The DCSS plans to add at least five more programs, including two occupational education centers. Third, the DCSS maintains a court-appointed bi-racial committee to review proposed boundary line changes, school openings and closings, and the M-to-M program.
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8 Black persons constitute approximately 30-percent of DCSS elementary school administrators (principals, assistant principals, and lead teachers). Yet, black administrators constitute less than 10-percent of the administrators in majority white schools. Conversely, black administrators constitute 60-percent of DCSS administrators in schools with black populations of more than 81-percent. Additionally, the DCSS assigns 13 of 18 black elementary school principals to schools in which the black student population is more than 90-percent. 9 At the high school level, the DCSS employs 27-percent black administrators. The percentage of black administrators at each school rises according to the size of the black student population. In majority white high schools, black administrators constitute only 22-percent of the administrators. In high schools with black student populations between 41-percent and 80-percent, black administrators constitute 45-percent of the administrators. In high schools with black student populations of more than 81-percent, black administrators constitute more than 63-percent of the administrators. In addition, the DCSS assigns 4 of 5 black high school principals to schools with black student populations of more than 95-percent. 10
11 Black teachers constitute approximately 27-percent of DCSS faculty. Yet, 17 school faculties deviate by more than 10-percent from the system average. 12 The DCSS maintains a transfer program for experienced teachers. Teachers with more than 3 years experience at one school may request a transfer to another school. During the 1986-87 school year, 182 teachers requested transfers. The DCSS granted 83 requests. The district court found that the transfer program deterred the DCSS from achieving racial equality among its faculty.
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14 The district court found that the DCSS assigns experienced teachers and teachers with graduate degrees in a racially imbalanced manner. The district court presented this fact by grouping DCSS schools into three categories: (1) Type I schools (majority white students during last ten years); (2) Type II schools (changed from majority white students to majority black students during last ten years); and (3) Type III schools (majority black students during the last ten years). The following charts demonstrate the racial skew: 15 Average Number of Years Teaching ELEMENTARYSCHOOLS Fall1984 Fall1985 Fall1986 Type I (majority white) 9.55 10.22 9.79 Type II (white to black) 6.45 6.90 6.36 Type III (majority black) 5.24 5.46 5.19 HIGH SCHOOLS Type I 7.99 8.74 8.90 Type II 6.83 7.14 7.08 Type III 5.34 5.68 4.91 16 Percentage of Teachers with Graduate Degrees ELEMENTARYSCHOOLS HIGHSCHOOLS 17 Type I 75.76 76.05 Type II 61.84 64.34 Type III 52.63 64.32 b. Per Pupil Expenditures 18 Using 1984-1985 school year figures, the district court also found that the DCSS spends more money per white student than it spends per black student. The following chart demonstrates the racial imbalance: 19 Per Pupil Expenditures Type I $2,833 Type II $2,540 Type III $2,492 B. Racial Composition of DeKalb County 20 Between 1950 and 1986, DeKalb County grew from 77,000 to 450,000 residents. This growth proceeded in a racially-skewed fashion. Black residents moved primarily to south DeKalb County and white residents moved primarily to north DeKalb County. For example, between 1970 and 1980, north DeKalb County's non-white population increased 102-percent to 15,365. South DeKalb County's non-white population, however, increased 661-percent to 87,583. In addition, between 1975 and 1980, 37,000 white residents moved from south DeKalb County to neighboring counties. 3 21 DeKalb County's demographic changes affected the DCSS. Between 1976-1986, the DCSS elementary school population declined 15-percent. During the same time, however, black elementary student enrollment increased 86-percent. At the high school level, DCSS enrollment declined 16-percent while black enrollment increased 119-percent.