It’s always fun to see the associations that can be made with the word “Kansas.” Here’s one a national story about the odd new law passed by the Nebraska Legislature to divide the Omaha school district into three racially identifiable districts, white, black and Hispanic: “Kansas and evolution. South Dakota and abortion. Now it’s school segregation in Nebraska. Bing, bing, bing. . . . Flyover country,” said Luanne Mainelli Nelson, Omaha schools’ information director.
The issue driving the law is pertinent to other communities, though, including Wichita. A pushback to an effort by the Omaha district to absorb largely white schools just inside the city’s borders from their suburban districts, the new law not only protects the outlying districts’ boundaries but invites legal challenges by breaking up Omaha into seemingly resegregated districts just seven years after mandatory busing ended.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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7 Comments
People segregate themselves because it is NATURAL! No amount of evil government coercion is going to make multiracialism work.
Viva La Raza Blanco!!!
At this point of time, it is defacto.
On the Omaha district issue, the courts may smash it. On the other hand, if schools are funded equitably, and if some successful African-Americans live in predominantly white neighborhoods, and attend neighborhood schools, then maybe the proposal will pass challenge.
Let us not forget that Brown v. Board of Education only came about because an African American student was denied enrollment in her neighborhood school. (Another plaintiff in this consolidated-case ruling was forced to sit outside a teacher-training class in Oklahoma. I think there was a third plaintiff in another state, but I can’t remember the facts.)
The Supreme Court never ruled that Separate But Equal was unconstitutional. The problem identified was Separate AND Unequal.
If you give African-American and Latino-predominant schools equivalent “suitable” resources, then maybe breaking down large districts may pass court challenge.
I think that if you were to establish say three districts in Wichita, and provide outstanding gifted-program schools in all districts, that might be doable.
We are currently caught in a trap of trying to achieve “equal outcomes”. You can only do that by ruining your best talent–i.e. tomorrow’s leadership. The standard presumption in education now is that the smartest students “will take care of themselves”. So they don’t need special programs that are tailored to their special talents. That’s simply wrong-headed. Highly gifted children need highly challenging educational regimens. Failing to do this merely reduces their abilities, and cripples your economy.
The reality is that there are highly gifted children of all races. Teach them, “You have been given special gifts, and we’re going to cultivate them. Many people, including people who don’t have your gifts, are providing you a special education. You owe them something in return. When you’ve finished school, come back and repay your community.”
Not all will respond, but many will.
Forget the bread-and-circuses arena. Build an info/nano-technology research and education center at WSU. If you say, “Most of our children won’t go there,” that’s a dumbkopf way of looking at it. Most Sedgwick Countians won’t go the arena, at least not to see things they can’t already see at the Coliseum.
What you lack here is 21st century training programs for young people who can be effective leaders for a post-aviation-dependent economy. They will figure out new industries to employ your children. Aircraft construction will be gone in 25 years. What do you have lined up to replace it?
“The Supreme Court never ruled that Separate But Equal was unconstitutional. The problem identified was Separate AND Unequal.”
Uh, heartlander, separate but equal was EXACTLY what the SC ruled was unconstitutional! Let’s not misunderstand one of the foundational cases of the 20t century. I quote:
“We conclude that in the field of public education thedoctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separateeducational facilities are inherently unequal.” Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483, 495 (1954).
Read it for yourself. Legally enforced separation is unequal, even if funded equally. Even in equal facilities. Even with equally qualified teachers.
I’m not sure at all that is what is going on in Omaha; if you’ve read the article, you know the legislation in question has had a tortured past, and in Nebraska’a unicameral legislature, there is no second chamber where hopefully cooler heads prevail. It looks like the same kind of mess that most cities are dealing with – how do inner-city districts fund schools after “white flight” has taken much of their tax base to the suburbs?
I don’t have a pat answer to that one; I don’t think anyone does. But simply shrugging our shoulders and muttering that de facto segregation is natural and inevitable is not good enough. We’ve made too much progress for that, and have too far still to go.
Cities have to make the older schools structurally better and education programs equal with new schools in the suburbs first.
Then have the whole community of students get bused instead only one section of society.
Parents can still be involved the neighborhood school nearby their home, even if their children don’t attend that school. More parents nearby schools need to be involved, just because.
Some parents don’t have kids in primary schools, volunteer time because its in their neighborhood.Who wants a bad school with problems in their neighborhood?
It takes time. Unfortunately some past real estate policies and racist fears keep neighborhoods seperate and schools aren’t funded equally when property tax collections drop becuase value of homes. It’s age related homes losing value, not the people living in those structures.
Cities can’t allow the uneven process to continue. The suburbs may have more expensive homes and newer school, can’t abandon the past and let neighorhoods get worse because of political negligance.
Its pretty evident in Wichita.
Every neighborhood should have a good primary school, no matter color of skin students attending. People who live near by that’s their school regardless any of their kids go there.
Should busing be stopped, not really. More should be bused if the plan keeps going. Make more schools equal in their education programs and structures.
In the case of Brown vs (Topeka) Board of Education, the ruling was that separating students according to race was illegal regardless of the physical condition of the school buildings. As I recall, Topeka was chosen for this case because the black school was in better shape than the white school in that Topeka neighborhood.
A different Kansas school district, one in the South Park neighborhood of Merriam, Kansas, was originally considered for the case but there the white school was clearly in better physical shape than the black school. That black school still stands and was being used as a small church the last time I drove by there.
My source of information was Professor Wilson in the K.U. School of Law who was involved in the case. Also a professor at Johnson County Community College, also involved in the case, who lived in Merriam in his retirement and whom I interviewed on videotape at one time.
A suggestion to Wichita EAGLE’s reporter staff — could you provide a story about the Omaha experience? Is there more to this story than I have seen so far. On the surface, this would appear to be a likely target for U.S. Supreme Court review.