TUSD Granted Unitary Status, Pending Acceptance of District's Post-Unitary Plan

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Chyrl Lander, (520) 225-6437, chyrl.lander@tusd1.org
Posted on: April 24, 2008
Revised: April 25, 2008

"This is a historic decision," said Alex Rodriguez, president of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, in response to the Court's decision to grant unitary status to the District, which will end the years-long desegregation order under which TUSD has operated.

"We have achieved a major milestone for TUSD's future today. Judge Bury's decision to grant unitary status has restored local control on critical public education issues ranging from student assignment to student achievement.

"This step will allow the Board, School District and our community to move beyond the 29-year Federal Court Order by providing the highest quality education possible for each of our students regardless of race," said Rodriguez.

U.S. District Judge David C. Bury released a 59-page order that grants unitary status to the District pending acceptance by the Court of the District's Post-Unitary Plan. The order is dated April 23, 2008.

TUSD has operated under a court-imposed desegregation order since 1978 when class-action lawsuits representing African American students and Mexican American students and employees were filed against the District. The original African American plaintiffs were Roy and Josie Fisher; Maria Mendoza was the original Mexican American plaintiff.

"We are very satisfied with Judge Bury's ruling. We look forward to working with the plaintiffs to adjust and finalize a Post-Unitary Plan, but we are disappointed that Judge Bury did not find evidence of the District's good faith in our long, ongoing efforts to achieve the goals of the 1978 Order," said Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer.

"We are pleased that total control of the District will be turned back over to our elected Governing Board, with accountability to our TUSD community instead of the Federal Court," said Pfeuffer.

District officials expressed encouragement that the Court regarded its Post-Unitary Plan acceptable with some additions to "improve its transparency and accountability." The order states that District representatives and the plaintiffs "shall meet within 30 days of the filing date" of the Order to discuss changes to the Post-Unitary Plan. The Order further states that "parties shall jointly file the Revised Post-Unitary Plan within 60 days" of the filing date of the Order.

Pfeuffer said meetings with the plaintiffs will be scheduled as soon as everyone has had a chance to study the Order in its entirety. District officials received a copy of the Order Thursday afternoon, April 24.

For more information, call Communications & Media Relations at 225-6537.

Unitary Status Order, April 23, 2008 (in Adobe PDF)