Attorney General Dustin McDaniel today issued his demands to Pulaski County public school districts to end state desegregation payments to the districts. He says the state will continue desegregation payments in Pulaski County for seven years — currently about $68 million a year — at the current level the first year and then tapering off payments by about $4 million a year for the final six years.
The Little Rock School District had offered to take an eight-year phaseout of support, but its offered phaseout would have only dropped to 90 percent of the beginning amount. As a practical matter, this case can’t be closed out until all three school districts have been declared desegregated in federal court. Only Little Rock has gained that designation, with North Little Rock and Pulaski County pending. John Walker, who represents black students in Little Rock, also will have a role in settlement talks.
McDaniel demands that the state’s ongoing support of segregative charter schools in Pulaski County not be discussed in resolving remaining issues. McDaniel demands also that recent state law on desegregation payments be accepted as constitutional. He further demands that Little Rock present a plan for supporting itself financially once state support is withdrawn. He says his demands are very generous.
(PS — Of course McDaniel depicted the state’s proposal as an “offer,” not a demand. And, of course, he conversely described offers from the districts as “demands.” I thought I’d play with his loaded words a little bit to demonstrate the demagoguery of such tactics. It’s familiar among union haters. Generous bosses always offer. Underpaid, powerless working stiffs always demand.)
The Little Rock School District’s attorney, Chris Heller, said the following in a note that went with the proposal to School Board members:
This seems to be a significant effort on the part of the state to resolve the outstanding funding issues. We should study it carefully to determine the impact on our students so that we can make an informed recommendation to the Board. I would like to start that work right away so that we will know where we stand before we get to Judge Miller’s court in September.