I read this article with mixed feelings. On one hand I can understand parents not wanting their kids bussed. But I'm not liking the sound of creating on paper black/white/Hispanic schools so that those schools can be "controlled" by the predominent race.

Law to Segregate Omaha Schools

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Because we segregate ourselves socially, school districts without bussing are going to be segregated anyway. Our district has voluntary bussing to schools with special programs and the parents who are really involved with their kids' education are the ones who school shop. The schools in the programs are racially/ethnically mixed.

Does anyone else see this type of legislation a step backwards? Or as a possible door to encouraging race separation and racism? Even if the schools are all equally funded, shouldn't part of learning be about getting on well with everyone?

We have a school district in Evanston, IL that is doing a similar thing. They are actually considering creating separate classes of African American students because there is a continued gap in test scores between the white students and the black students. This is vehemently opposed by the white parents and supported by the teachers and the black parents. It is very controversial and probably won't end up happening.

The whites want "diversity" at all costs and the blacks want their children to get the best education possible. The logic supporting separate classes is that the teachers feel that the students have different needs.

I don't think anyone is going to win with separate schools, but I do think we owe it to kids to give them the best we can, so I guess I will be keeping an eye on the argument.

Evanston is a VERY liberal town. Home of Northwestern University. It is also a town that has a sharp divide similar to many cities and towns in this country where white affluence is set aside black working class people. As many critics of how integrated Evanston is point out, there really isn't integration in the neighborhoods. In any event I think it's good that they are discussing the problems at hand and keeping an open mind about options... I really hope it doesn't end up being separate classes though because that just seems a bad direction.

One thing I definitely think we owe kids is to take all the tax bases in a given area and make sure that kids are equally funded regardless if they live over one town line or another. That there is such great disparity in our public school funding is disgraceful.

ha ha first we cry that we want everybody to be in the same place now we cry that we dont.
we americans are a funny bunch ar'nt we
darned if we do and darned if we dont.
ha ha