St. Helena Parish School District Declaration of Unitary Status Lawrence Hall vs. St. Helena Parish School Board, 1952 Regular School Board Meeting November 12, 2015

Brief History Lawrence Hall et al., Plaintiffs, United States of America, Plaintiff-Intervener-Appellant v. St. Helena Parish School Board et al., Defendants-Appellees Hall filed suit in 1952, after he was told that the school district didn't have money to furnish a new school that he and other black residents had built to replace an inferior facility. Dual system of public education On July 25, 1969, the Court outlined a Desegregation Plan for the School Board to follow beginning with the 1969-1970 school year. The Plan required steps to assure racial composition of students, faculty and staff that would demonstrate a school intended for black and white students.

Brief History School Board has been under court supervision since that time. Small, unstable tax base and inconsistent property tax revenues have presented financial challenges for the district. The School Board faced new challenges in 2010 when the Recovery School District gained control of St. Helena Central Middle School due to consistent low performance.

MOTION FOR PARTIAL UNITARY STATUS THE ST. HELENA PARISH SCHOOL BOARD HAS FILED A MOTION TO HAVE THE COURT DECLARE A PARTIAL UNITARY STATUS, IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE ORDERS OF THE COURT.

How does a school district end a desegregation order? To obtain unitary status, a school district must establish that it no longer operates a segregated (dual) school district and that it has eliminated the vestiges of past segregation. To obtain unitary status, a school district must prove that it has complied in good faith with its desegregation orders for a reasonable period of time.

Legal Authority GREEN V. COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, 391 U.S. 430 (1968) – THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT MADE THE FOLLOWING TWO RULINGS: POST BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), SCHOOL BOARDS HAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE DUTY TO TAKE NECESSARY STEPS TO CONVERT ANY DUAL SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO A UNITARY SYSTEM WITH THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.

Legal Authority Unitary status exists when it is devoid of racial discrimination. Indicators that a school district has achieved unitary status are called GREEN FACTORS: Faculty/Staff Transportation Extracurricular Activities Facilities Student Assignment (court will still have jurisdiction in this area)

Unitary Status A declaration of unitary status signals the beginning of the end of federal judicial supervision over the District’s operations.

Evidence Court Considers Faculty/Staff Evidence Court Considers St. Helena Parish SD Percentage of minority employees in the workforce; Nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunity policy Factors explaining hiring successes or challenges Rural school district with low-paying wage for employees is a challenge for retaining qualified employees. Recruitment, employment and assignment of employees are conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner. Successful Tax Measure in 2012 that allowed for the salary increase for all employees A Blue Print to Excellence was created to address the need to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers.

FACULTY AND STAFF 2014 STATS TOTAL NUMBER OF FACULTY & STAFF: 164 TOTAL NUMBER OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS: 6 DEMOGRAPHICS: BLACK FEMALES 93 (56%) WHITE FEMALES 31 (18%) BLACK MALES 27 (16%) WHITE MALES 4 (2%) OTHER 9 (5%)

Evidence Court Considers Transportation Evidence Court Considers St. Helena Parish SD Transportation provided to all students on non-discriminatory basis. Free transportation to all students Contracted bus buses (8) Owner/Operator buses (10) School Board-owned buses (1) Leased Special Needs bus (1) Bus transportation is a normal and accepted tool used to remedy segregation The school district has complied with the laws of Louisiana regarding the transportation of students. All students are assigned buses that provide the most geographically feasible routes.

Extracurricular Activities Evidence Court Considers St. Helena Parish SD Extracurricular activities offered to all students on nondiscriminatory basis; Policy of nondiscrimination and equal educational opportunity No evidence of unlawful exclusion or denial, student participation, all vestiges of past discrimination eliminated. There is a written policy of offering activities for all students The policies have race neutral restrictions. No student can participate if he/she is suspended. Students are required to maintain a 2.0 average to participate in any extracurricular activities. Expansion of athletic department Full-time Athletic Director Coaching Supplement revisions Renovation of gym Construction of new football stadium Reestablished boys baseball New uniforms for most sports Renovated Band Room

Evidence Court Considers Facilities Evidence Court Considers St. Helena Parish SD Maintenance, repair, and construction of facilities without regard to race to students attending; Educational and Facilities Plan St. Helena College and Career Academy New classroom facility at SHCCA New Junior Division New Cafeteria New Media Center New football stadium Resources allocated to facilities without regard to race of students attending; St. Helena Arts and Technology Academy USDA application set to begin shortly Per pupil spending relatively equal regardless of racial composition of school MFP dollars along with grant funding is allocated equitably among all students. 2012 Tax Measure for construction/renovation of facilities for all St. Helena schools

Evidence Court Considers Serving ALL Students Evidence Court Considers St. Helena Parish SD Academic programs College and Career Academy Advanced Placement courses Accelerated 8th Grade Program Dual Enrollment College and Career Coach Added 7th and 8th Grade Arts and Technology Academy Louisiana A+ Arts Integration Arts and Technology Enrichment Courses American History in 6th Grade Added 5th and 6th Grade Technology Interactive Whiteboard in every classroom Four computers in every classroom Fiber Optics for high speed internet capability iPads, ActivBoards, online resources Student Achievement Most improved district in 2012 Consistent, steady gains during transition to higher standards Finances Eliminated $1.5 million deficit Aligned finances to District Vision

District School Performance Score 200 Point System 200 Point System (Grading Scale Change for “D” and “F” only) Grading Scale Change New 150 Point System 2011 DPS 2012 Letter Grade 2012 DPS 2013 Annual DPS Letter Grade 2013 Annual DPS 2014 Annual DPS Letter Grade 2014 Annual DPS 58 F 71.8 45.2 D 51.4 Changes to Grading Scale 2010-2011 Grading Scale 2011-2012 Grading Scale 2012-2013 Grading Scale A 120-200 100-150 B 105-119.9 85-99.9 C 90.0-104.9 70-84.9 D 65-89.9 75-89.9* 50-69.9 F 0-64.9 0-74.9* 0-49.9

Student Assignment THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS REQUESTING THE COURT TO MAINTAIN JURISDICTION IN THIS AREA. ZONE JUMPING CONTINUES TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE OVERALL ENROLLMENT OF STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT. ADDITIONAL STUDENTS RESULTS IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING. TOTAL OF 1,162 STUDENTS ST. HELENA ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY HAS 698 STUDENTS. ST. HELENA COLLEGE AND CAREER ACADEMY HAS 464 STUDENTS.

Student Assignment HOWEVER, THERE IS INFORMATION THAT AT LEAST 65 STUDENTS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF ST. HELENA PARISH ATTEND SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF THE PARISH. OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL BE REZONING THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN THE STUDENT POPULATION FOR OUR DISTRICT. COURT JURISDICTION OVER THIS ISSUE SHOULD HAVE POSITIVE RESULTS.

CONCLUSION THE MOTION FOR PARTIAL UNITARY STATUS IS A STEP TO SUBSTANTIALLY CONCLUDE THIS LITIGATION THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING AND EXPENSIVE. GENERALLY, A COURT WILL NOT DISMISS A CASE UNTIL AT LEAST THREE (3) YEARS AFTER A UNITARY SYSTEM HAS BEEN DECLARED. CONTINUED REPORTING TO THE COURT AND COURT SUPERVISION OF OPEN ISSUES