Desegregation Settlement Approved By All 3 School Boards

All parties in the long-running desegregation case involving three central Arkansas school districts have agreed to a settlement.

The resolution – $65.8 million a year over the next four years – is expected to bring to an end the 30-year old legal battle, which was scheduled for a federal trial next month.

On Monday night, the Little Rock School District signed off on the agreement following suit with the North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts previous moves. The Joshua Intervenors, led by attorney John Walker on behalf of black students in the case, also announced his support for the plan.

“This is a historic milestone decades in the making. With this agreement, the State and the three Pulaski County school districts can move forward to focus on the best interests of the students, rather than on costly, burdensome litigation,” said Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel (D). “We look forward to presenting this agreement to the Court very soon.”

As part of the tentative agreement, the three school districts will receive:

• $65.8 million a year for next four fiscal years.
• For three years, Little Rock would get $37.3 million, North Little Rock would receive $7.6 million, and the Pulaski County would get $20.8 million.
• In the fourth year, the money would be earmarked for construction projects tied to academic facilities in the three districts.

McDaniel announced that a tentative agreement was in reach last week when he told a legislative panel about the proposal.