Ed School Professor Criticizes Historic End to Boston Busing

BOSTON--Flanked by a multi-racial contingent of once-opposites in Boston's infamous school desegregation battle, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the city's historic plan to eliminate race as a factor in school assignment on Wednesday.

Yesterday, the chief architect of the overturned system, the Graduate School of Education's Eliot Professor Emeritus Charles Willie, said he strongly opposes the new plan.

Advocates of removing race said the timing--for a city facing a forgone court battle--made "common sense."

But Willie disputed that the new plan's motivations--in a still divided city--fail to evoke a needed common cause.

"The Superintendent said that he made the changes so that we could get away from thinking about race," Willie said. "My prediction is that the exact opposite is going to happen. He is returning us to a system of segregated schools."

But city and school officials dismissed many of the concerns raised by Willie and scores of other minority leaders. At Wednesday night's school committee meeting, they formally voted to remove the racial component of Willie's "controlled choice assignment" in the fall of 2000.

Strange Bedfellows

Menino said he hoped Boston, the city that invented the term "busing" 25 years ago, could move beyond the sometimes-violent racial polarization that marked the city following the court order of federal judge Arthur Garrity to end school segregation.

But the most evident divide on Wednesday was between leaders of the city's minority communities.

"If you think that politics makes strange bedfellows, education makes even stranger bedfellows," said supporter State Sen. Diane Wilkerson (D-Roxbury), Massachusetts' only African-American senator.

"I defy you to scan your files from the 1970s and you will never find a picture--I guarantee you--from the 1970s of people gathered to talk about education and schools in Boston who look like this," she said of the group at Menino's press conference.

"You're not going to see a lot of smiles here today," she added. "But now we can move on to the bigger battle."

Not all minority leaders agreed. Concerned parents, elected officials and activists--most strongly opposed to the new plan--packed school headquarters for over two hours of passionate public testimony before the school committee approved the plan.

"Have some gonads," said Jean McGuire, director of the region-wide METCO busing program. "Represent the constituency that is the Boston schools. Do not capitulate to this fraudulent tactic."

Willie wasn't at the school committee meeting, but he strongly agreed with McGuire's concern. "It's a very sad day for Boston to leave the high ground of a fair plan that didn't give preference to anyone and empowered parents, while making it impossible for a school to reject any student," he said.

Throwing in the Towel

Though he said he's been considering the change for four years, Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant admitted his decision to remove the racial factor comes largely from the urgency of last month's class action lawsuit filed against the school system.

The suit alleges that the plan illegally limits the numbers of white students attending any one school through unfairly configured school zones and by providing priority placement to minority students.

If the case goes to court, he said, it would drag the city through an expensive battle it is likely to lose.

"We have a low probability of meeting the constitutional standard," Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant said of the recent conservative tenor of the federal court system.

The Boston Public schools faced a major blow in November 1998, when the first circuit court ruled in favor of Sarah Wessman, a white student who claimed that race-based admissions policies illegal denied her admission to the exam-based Boston Latin School.

"We are united in our belief that long court battle would only distract us from our real challenge of raising the level of achievement in all our schools," Menino said.

Willie argued that the recent suit is "substantially different" from the Wessman case and deserves a court battle. "No one got kicked out of school because of their race. No one was harmed," he said. "What we did was guarantee that everyone had to be included."

White Spaces

Willie and plan co-designer Michael Alves, the senior planner at Brown University's Equity Assistance Center, voluntarily produced a 26-page analysis of Walsh's lawsuit, calling the suit "frivolous and without merit."

"We conclude that the 'Controlled Choice' student assignment plan is not one of rigid racial quotas intended to obtain racial and ethnic balance," they wrote. "It is a flexible plan that guarantees access for all population groups to all the regular educational offerings of the Boston School System."

Armed with stacks of data and color-coded charts in her Dorchester home, Walsh said Boston's Children First is simply trying to improve all schools through a return to a neighborhood schooling system.

Walsh said that the group is working to make race disappear as a significant form of difference in the Boston school system.

"I'm not a social engineer," said Ann F. Walsh, president of Boston's Children First, the first plaintiff listed in the lawsuit.

"That's Nazism--to take human beings and use aspects of them to make decisions about them. Discriminate against none," she said.

Willie said Walsh's ideas threaten civil society. "You can't get beyond racism without taking race into consideration," countered Willie.

"Our race is a reality in the U.S. To deny the reality of race in the United State is to deny its history," he said.

A Changing City

Payzant argued that the city's present-day demographics mean that losing the "racial fairness" guidelines "would not have a dramatic impact on the composition of the schools."

Today's school system is 49 percent black, 26 percent Hispanic, 15 percent white and 9 percent Asian, essentially ensuring somewhat diverse schools regardless of the assignment plan, Payzant said.

School department simulations show that the recommendation would only affect the school assignment of very few of the total 13,000 who were assigned.

Less than 1,000 would see a change: one half would receive better choices, and one half lower choices lower on their list.

Willie characterized Payzant's data as "totally bogus."

"He shows no understanding of controlled choice," he said. Payzant's data falsely assumes that parents would choose the same schools as they would have with race-based restrictions, according to Willie.

"Under controlled choice, because the school has to accommodate the wants of everyone, parents look for good schools elsewhere in the city where they might not have looked before," he said.

Without racial fairness guidelines, Willie said, the choice data--and distribution of students--is likely to radically change.

The key, he said, is the new policy's 100 percent priority to individuals who live within school the "walk zones."

Willie explained that since the vast majority of schools in Boston's largely still residentially-segregated black community were closed down in the 1970s, proximity preference means that for the most part, white children will be able to attend the schools of their choice in their own neighborhoods, neighborhoods which are predominantly white.

"This policy has made black and Latino youngsters wayfarers to roam the city to find a school that nobody else wants to go to," he said.

Not only will schools become resegregated, but minorities will once again face the brunt of an unfair system, Willie said.

At Wednesday's press conference, Menino pledged renewed support to build five new neighborhood schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan--areas which are predominantly African-American communities that also have few schools.

Willie too challenged Menino's new school plan, nothing that the state of Massachusetts only provides 90 percent reimbursement for school construction to municipalities with voluntary desegregation plans--which Boston just scrapped.

And even if the city finds the money to build the schools, they will not come for another five or six years.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," he said.

"We know that 30 to 35 schools are over-chosen each year. Why does the school committee not replicate those schools elsewhere?" he said.

"What they've done is blame on race their own inadequacies and ineptitude to replicate good and attractive schools."

Looking Forward

"I'm not completely stuck with racial fairness guidelines as the only method to ensure that groups will not be turned away from any school," he said.

"One could use socio-economic data to devise a plan in which in which both poor children--eligible for free and reduced lunch--and affluent children would have access to all of the educational opportunities in these communities."

"I would be willing to develop that kind of plan," he said. "If they asked for it."

Willie isn't holding his breath waiting for Boston officials to ask for his input.

He's never been consulted at any point in Payzant's four-year tenure.

And many of the irate parents who registered protest at Wednesday's school committee meeting said that the timing of the decision precluded important community discussion.

School and city officials provided less than 24 hours notice of their proposed plan before putting it to a vote before Boston's elected school committee.

At Wednesday's meeting, Eric Mitchell of the Boston NAACP said that all local NAACP officials were away at the organization's annual national convention.

"The change has nothing to do with education. My guess is that the Mayor is being leveraged for some other political reasons," Willie said

Throwing in the Towel

Though he said he's been considering the change for four years, Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant admitted his decision to remove the racial factor comes largely from the urgency of last month's class action lawsuit filed against the school system.

The suit alleges that the plan illegally limits the numbers of white students attending any one school through unfairly configured school zones and by providing priority placement to minority students.

If the case goes to court, he said, it would drag the city through an expensive battle it is likely to lose.

"We have a low probability of meeting the constitutional standard," Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant said of the recent conservative tenor of the federal court system.

The Boston Public schools faced a major blow in November 1998, when the first circuit court ruled in favor of Sarah Wessman, a white student who claimed that race-based admissions policies illegal denied her admission to the exam-based Boston Latin School.

"We are united in our belief that long court battle would only distract us from our real challenge of raising the level of achievement in all our schools," Menino said.

Willie argued that the recent suit is "substantially different" from the Wessman case and deserves a court battle. "No one got kicked out of school because of their race. No one was harmed," he said. "What we did was guarantee that everyone had to be included."

White Spaces

Willie and plan co-designer Michael Alves, the senior planner at Brown University's Equity Assistance Center, voluntarily produced a 26-page analysis of Walsh's lawsuit, calling the suit "frivolous and without merit."

"We conclude that the 'Controlled Choice' student assignment plan is not one of rigid racial quotas intended to obtain racial and ethnic balance," they wrote. "It is a flexible plan that guarantees access for all population groups to all the regular educational offerings of the Boston School System."

Armed with stacks of data and color-coded charts in her Dorchester home, Walsh said Boston's Children First is simply trying to improve all schools through a return to a neighborhood schooling system.

Walsh said that the group is working to make race disappear as a significant form of difference in the Boston school system.

"I'm not a social engineer," said Ann F. Walsh, president of Boston's Children First, the first plaintiff listed in the lawsuit.

"That's Nazism--to take human beings and use aspects of them to make decisions about them. Discriminate against none," she said.

Willie said Walsh's ideas threaten civil society. "You can't get beyond racism without taking race into consideration," countered Willie.

"Our race is a reality in the U.S. To deny the reality of race in the United State is to deny its history," he said.

A Changing City

Payzant argued that the city's present-day demographics mean that losing the "racial fairness" guidelines "would not have a dramatic impact on the composition of the schools."

Today's school system is 49 percent black, 26 percent Hispanic, 15 percent white and 9 percent Asian, essentially ensuring somewhat diverse schools regardless of the assignment plan, Payzant said.

School department simulations show that the recommendation would only affect the school assignment of very few of the total 13,000 who were assigned.

Less than 1,000 would see a change: one half would receive better choices, and one half lower choices lower on their list.

Willie characterized Payzant's data as "totally bogus."

"He shows no understanding of controlled choice," he said. Payzant's data falsely assumes that parents would choose the same schools as they would have with race-based restrictions, according to Willie.

"Under controlled choice, because the school has to accommodate the wants of everyone, parents look for good schools elsewhere in the city where they might not have looked before," he said.

Without racial fairness guidelines, Willie said, the choice data--and distribution of students--is likely to radically change.

The key, he said, is the new policy's 100 percent priority to individuals who live within school the "walk zones."

Willie explained that since the vast majority of schools in Boston's largely still residentially-segregated black community were closed down in the 1970s, proximity preference means that for the most part, white children will be able to attend the schools of their choice in their own neighborhoods, neighborhoods which are predominantly white.

"This policy has made black and Latino youngsters wayfarers to roam the city to find a school that nobody else wants to go to," he said.

Not only will schools become resegregated, but minorities will once again face the brunt of an unfair system, Willie said.

At Wednesday's press conference, Menino pledged renewed support to build five new neighborhood schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan--areas which are predominantly African-American communities that also have few schools.

Willie too challenged Menino's new school plan, nothing that the state of Massachusetts only provides 90 percent reimbursement for school construction to municipalities with voluntary desegregation plans--which Boston just scrapped.

And even if the city finds the money to build the schools, they will not come for another five or six years.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," he said.

"We know that 30 to 35 schools are over-chosen each year. Why does the school committee not replicate those schools elsewhere?" he said.

"What they've done is blame on race their own inadequacies and ineptitude to replicate good and attractive schools."

Looking Forward

"I'm not completely stuck with racial fairness guidelines as the only method to ensure that groups will not be turned away from any school," he said.

"One could use socio-economic data to devise a plan in which in which both poor children--eligible for free and reduced lunch--and affluent children would have access to all of the educational opportunities in these communities."

"I would be willing to develop that kind of plan," he said. "If they asked for it."

Willie isn't holding his breath waiting for Boston officials to ask for his input.

He's never been consulted at any point in Payzant's four-year tenure.

And many of the irate parents who registered protest at Wednesday's school committee meeting said that the timing of the decision precluded important community discussion.

School and city officials provided less than 24 hours notice of their proposed plan before putting it to a vote before Boston's elected school committee.

At Wednesday's meeting, Eric Mitchell of the Boston NAACP said that all local NAACP officials were away at the organization's annual national convention.

"The change has nothing to do with education. My guess is that the Mayor is being leveraged for some other political reasons," Willie said