Board to hear Tucson schools racial balance plan

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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A plan to desegregate Tucson schools is slated to go before the district's governing board.

The Arizona Daily Star reports (http://bit.ly/UzvqZE) that the board is scheduled Tuesday to vote on the proposed "Unitary Status Plan."

That plan calls for the Tucson Unified School District to increase racial and ethnic diversity in its schools and promote integration in magnet schools and programs. It also calls on improving the diversity of administrators and reducing disparities in handling student discipline.

A draft of the plan was made public in November.

The final version makes no direct mention of the district's heated Mexican American Studies program, which most speakers lobbied for returning during the public hearings.

The district has been under a court desegregation order for more than 30 years. The case began with a class-action lawsuit filed by parents of Hispanic and black students against the district.

The desegregation order was lifted in 2009 but reinstated last year after a federal appeals court found the district hadn't acted in good faith.

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Online: www.tusd1.org

Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com