Desegregation Ruling Might Hit Teachers Hardest

Officials with the Philadelphia district don’t anticipate much impact as far as students are concerned but are studying the ruling to make sure.

“The impact on us will likely be minimal — if at all,” said spokeswoman Cecilia Cummings. “Bear in mind this is a 180 page document and our attorneys are still reviewing it to determine if it has any affect on the schools in Philadelphia.”

But, because the vast majority of students in city schools are Black it’s unlikely that any major changes are on the way.

“We are 85 percent children of color,” she said. “We have not been bussing in any great degree; there just aren’t enough Caucasian children in our district.”

By comparison, Seattle, Wash. and Louisville, Ky., the districts involved in the Supreme Court case, have student bodies that are between 30 and 60 percent white.

Where bussing has been taking place in Philadelphia, at approximately 10 schools across the district, it has been voluntary, not mandatory.

“Earlier this year, we looked at 10 schools and decided to keep bussing in those 10 schools,” Cummings said. “In other schools, we are phasing that out but this has nothing to do with the Supreme Court decision.”

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