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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Omaha school district to split along racial lines
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- In a move decried by some as state-sponsored segregation, the Legislature voted Thursday to divide the Omaha school system into three districts -- one mostly black, one predominantly white and one largely Hispanic.
Supporters said the plan would give minorities control over their own school board and ensure that their children are not shortchanged in favor of white youngsters.
Republican Gov. Dave Heineman signed the measure into law.
Omaha Sen. Pat Bourne decried the bill, saying, "We will go down in history as one of the first states in 20 years to set race relations back."
"History will not, and should not, judge us kindly," said Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha.
Attorney General Jon Bruning sent a letter to one of the measure's opponents saying that the bill could be in violation of the Constitution's equal-protection clause and that lawsuits almost certainly will be filed.
But its backers said that at the very least, its passage will force policymakers to negotiate seriously about the future of schools in the Omaha area.
The breakup would not occur until July 2008, leaving time for lawmakers to come up with another idea.
"There is no intent to create segregation," said Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the Legislature's only black senator and a longtime critic of the school system.
He argued that the district is already segregated, because it no longer buses students for integration and instead requires them to attend their neighborhood school.
Chambers said the schools attended largely by minorities lack the resources and quality teachers provided others in the district. He said the black students he represents in north Omaha would receive a better education if they had more control over their district.
Coming from Chambers, the argument was especially persuasive to the rest of the Legislature, which voted three times this week in favor of the bill before it won final passage on the last day of the session.
Omaha Public Schools Superintendent John Mackiel said the law is unconstitutional and will not stand.
"There simply has never been an anti-city school victory anywhere in this nation," Mackiel said. "This law will be no exception."
The 45,000-student Omaha school system is 46 percent white, 31 percent black, 20 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent Asian or American Indian.
Boundaries for the newly created districts would be drawn using current high school attendance areas. That would result in four possible scenarios; in every scenario, two districts would end up with a majority of students who are racial minorities.
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Posted 4/14/06 11:57 AM  |
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BabyBoy
is Skylar Elizabeth
Member since 5/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Tom
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
i think this is sad and only teaches kids more about seperation due to race and color.
i can see its kinda already seperated but i blame the system for letting it get to that point
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:01 PM |
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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
What shocked me more was that the only African American legislature in that state is the biggest supporter. 
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:02 PM |
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BabyBoy
is Skylar Elizabeth
Member since 5/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Tom
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by LadyLainez
What shocked me more was that the only African American legislature in that state is the biggest supporter.
well, they are the ones being deined "somthing" at the moment...the seperation will allow them to be in charge "of something" which is what anybody would want. You have more control over your people...great.
Not for nothing, but i graduated with a school that had 5 black students (me being one of them) in a class of 110. I think I turned out good  I was and the cabinet and crap so...what does that mean? Our black students in my high school were all known and important just as the white students. I really don't know what to say.
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:15 PM |
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BabyBoy
is Skylar Elizabeth
Member since 5/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Tom
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
btw, i love Tom and Jerry...is that still on tV?
Message edited 4/14/2006 12:16:17 PM.
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:16 PM |
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Diane
Hope is Contagious....catch it
Member since 5/05 30683 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by BabyBoy
i think this is sad and only teaches kids more about seperation due to race and color.
i can see its kinda already seperated but i blame the system for letting it get to that point
I agree
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:17 PM |
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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by BabyBoy
btw, i love Tom and Jerry...is that still on tV?
You need to refresh your page. I have a chick coming out of an egg now. 
I just ordered Tom & Jerry checks. Yes, they are still on TV I was watching it the other day. Don't remember the channel.
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:28 PM |
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by LadyLainez
What shocked me more was that the only African American legislature in that state is the biggest supporter.
From what I have experienced in NYC, some African Americans have been more likely to favor segregation. Even though we have de facto segregation in many schools already, there are people out there who want it to be made legal. There were people in my first school who wanted all the white teachers out- they only wanted black teachers in that school.
We had an alleged poetic "prodigy" (age 7) read some of her work at my school last week- it caused an uproar because she went off on white people and stated that someday she'd open a school for only black and Hispanic kids. I'm sure that made our kids who do not fall into those categories feel wonderful.
Anyway, in my long-winded way I'm saying that it's a bad idea.
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:34 PM |
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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Anyway, in my long-winded way I'm saying that it's a bad idea.
I feel like the schools on LI are mostly segregated anyway. Based on seeing the difference here in Virginia, it's a big difference. I was shocked.
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| Posted 4/14/06 12:44 PM |
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by LadyLainez
I feel like the schools on LI are mostly segregated anyway. Based on seeing the difference here in Virginia, it's a big difference. I was shocked.
So schools in VA are more integrated than here? (I guess- schools here are not integrated at all really, kind of ironic since NY likes to think of itself as liberal, IMO.)
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| Posted 4/14/06 1:08 PM |
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BigB
C & J are 10!
Member since 6/05 5914 total posts
Name:
Stacey
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Here is a question that city people don't really have to deal with here in NYC but LIers do all of the time....
Property Taxes. If the districts want to break off along ethnic lines I say go for it. Then, people will really understand how much money it costs to educate. That being said, certain school districts will have a harder time finding teachers b/c the pot is too small to attract qualified teachers with experience.
This may seem harsh but I am a true beleiver that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes adults need to fail in order to realize that it wasn't broke in the first place. However, the downside is that the children are hurt in the end.
I teach at 90% African-American School with a 10% mixture of others and it has been one of the hardest experiences of my life. I have never felt such hatred before. I have always taught in pretty diverse schools and grew up in an extremely diverese neighborhood where whites were a slight minority (if you will) and there never was this extreme hatred that I face every day at my current school.
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| Posted 4/14/06 1:26 PM |
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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by MrsProfessor
Posted by LadyLainez
I feel like the schools on LI are mostly segregated anyway. Based on seeing the difference here in Virginia, it's a big difference. I was shocked.
So schools in VA are more integrated than here? (I guess- schools here are not integrated at all really, kind of ironic since NY likes to think of itself as liberal, IMO.)
Yes, I was really in surprised. The school Marissa goes to know is an excellent school. There is a mix of everything...every color under the sun. I was very pleased to see it. 
Message edited 4/14/2006 1:28:34 PM.
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| Posted 4/14/06 1:28 PM |
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Tah-wee-ZAH
Kisses
Member since 5/05 15952 total posts
Name:
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
This country is getting more and more backward every day. Religious right, now legal segregation
MLK Jr., RFK, Rosa Parks wonder what they would think?
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| Posted 4/14/06 1:52 PM |
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LadyMaravilla
Fall Is Here
Member since 5/05 12023 total posts
Name:
Sonia
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Re: Omaha school district to split along racial lines
Posted by Tah-wee-ZAH
This country is getting more and more backward every day. Religious right, now legal segregation
MLK Jr., RFK, Rosa Parks wonder what they would think?
I know!!! I KNOW.....we're going backwards!!!!!! 
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| Posted 4/14/06 1:53 PM |
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