The Touchy Subject - Segregation

Rocky Mountain News today touches upon public education's controversial topic: school segregation aka white flight. Under Colorado law, parents have many options when selecting among schools within a district including out of district for their children. In Boulder, Columbine, and Lafayette new enrollment patterns are emerging creating large hispanic populations at particular schools. While Superintendent George Garcia of the Boulder district cannot do anything to change the state's open enrollment law, a citizen task force has suggested several strategies to disperse the district's students more equitably. These suggestions included enrollment targets for minorities and economically disadvantaged students which would include enrollment caps and preferences for free meals only available at mostly middle- or upper-income schools. Another option would be to provide transportation to low income families so they can take advantage of open enrollment. School board President Helayne Jones acknowledges that the discussions will be politically sensitive.

"For a liberal community, we aren't looking so liberal in the white flight we've experienced from some schools in the last 10 years," says Phillips, who was barred by term limits from seeking a third term on the school board. Jared Polis, a member of the Colorado Board of Education and a Boulder native, says the school district should stop blaming open enrollment for school segregation and do more to attract Anglo families back to schools like Columbine.

"My feeling is the problem is racism," Richard Garcia, board member of the Colorado Commission of Higher Education, says. "I think people are leaving Columbine because they don't like to be with brown kids. I know I'm going to get killed because I said that, but I'm going to call it as I
see it."

"Merely claiming racism can be an excuse not to take action, and sometimes that's what it becomes," Polis says. "I think that parents of all colors care most about the quality of the school and achievement," Polis says. "If there's a school where their kids are getting a good education, and the teachers are good and the program is good and their child is happy, I don't
think they care what color the child that sits next to them is."

No doubt school districts will be watching Colorado to see how this pans out when schools resume in January.