NOW BACK TO THAT

MAJOR SETTLEMENT IN

THE LANDMARK CIVIL

RIGHTS CASE SHEFF

VS. ONEILL.

NBC CONN’S ...

KRISTEN JOHNSON

LIVE WITH WHAT THIS

MEANS... FOR THE

FUTURE OF HARTFORD

SCHOOLS.

KRISTEN?

UNLIKE PAST SETTLEMENTS,

ONE OF THE BIG CHANGES

THIS DEAL CALLS FOR IS AN END

TO THE RACE-BASED LOTTERY

SYSTEM.

THE STATE HAS STRUGGLED

WITH A WAY TO SATISFY THE

STATE SUPREME COURT’S

1996 DESEGREGATION

RULING.. BUT NOW, BOTH

PARTIES ARE HOPEFUL THIS IS

THE LAST TIME THEY’LL HAVE TO

SETTLE THIS CASE IN COURT.

: "IN THE STRUGGLE FOR

JUSTICE WE ARE

ACCUSTOMED TO THE FACT

THAT STEPS FORWARD ARE

ACCOMPANIED BY PUSH

BACK, STEPS BACKWARDS.

TODAY IN THIS COURTROOM

WE TOOK A STEP FORWARD."

THAT STEP FORWARD MEANS

HUNDREDS MORE HARTFORD

PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL

HAVE A SEAT IN A MAGNET

SCHOOL. THERE WILL ALSO BE

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR

SUBURBAN SCHOOLS TO

INCREASE THE OPEN CHOICE

PROGRAM.

: "I BELIEVE TODAY THAT THE

PEOPLE OF HARTFORD, THE

PEOPLE OF THIS REGION, THE

PEOPLE OF THIS STATE WON

TODAY AND THE STUDENTS OF

HARTFORD WON TODAY."

THE RACE-BASED QUOTAS

ARE GONE... REPLACED BY

SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS

INSTEAD. DATA WILL BE USED

TO ENSURE THAT INCOMING

CLASSES IN MOST MAGNET

SCHOOLS WILL NOT BE MORE

THAN 60% LOW

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.

: "WE THINK THAT USING

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

BACKGROUND AND DATA WILL

ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO FILL

SLOTS AND ENCOURAGE

STUDENTS TO ATTEND SCHOOLS

IN THIS OVERALL SYSTEM."

CAROL VINICK AND TOM

CONNOLLY SENT THEIR

DAUGHTERS TO AN INTEGRATED

INNER CITY SCHOOL IN

HARTFORD. THEY WERE PART

OF THE ORIGINAL 1989

LAWSUIT.

EVERY CHILD SHOULD HAVE

THAT RIGHT, IT’S A HUMAN

RIGHT, QUALITY INTEGRATED

EDUCATION IS A HUMAN

RIGHT."

THE STATE HAS TWO AND A

HALF YEARS TO REMEDY THE

SITUATION. IF IT DOES THE

COURT WILL NO LONGER

OVERSEE THE CASE AND THE

LITIGATION WILL PERMANENTLY

BE OVER. BUT HORTON SHEFF

HAS HER DOUBTS.

"WE’LL BE BACK TO COURT.

WE’LL BE BACK TO COURT."

07:41 "YOU SEE THAT WHEN

COURT OVERSIGHT ENDS

RESEGREGATION OCCURS."

ACCORDING TO A

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE

"WE’LL BE BACK TO COURT.

WE’LL BE BACK TO COURT."

07:41 "YOU SEE THAT WHEN

COURT OVERSIGHT ENDS

RESEGREGATION OCCURS."

ACCORDING TO A

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

THEY’LL USE EXISTING MONEY

FROM A SETTLEMENT FUND TO

PAY FOR THIS PLAN.

AND, MAGNET SCHOOLS THAT

HAVE NOT REACHED THEIR

SPENDING CAP WILL BE ABLE

TO TAKE IN MORE STUDENTS

WITHOUT ASKING FOR MORE

MONEY FROM THE STATE.

LIVE IN HARTFORD, KRISTEN

JOHNSON, NBC

CONNECTICUT NEWS.

A WOMAN ACCUSED