DESEGREGATION FUNDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS: WHY FUNDING BASED ON DIVERSITY IS STILL CRUCIAL FOR MODERN DAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA

Abstract

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that schools could no longer separate students based on ethnicity. Separate but equal could no longer be the standard, and schools were required to integrate. 60 years later, there are still school districts that are under court-order to fund programs that foster diversity. The money used to pay for these programs are called desegregation funds. In Arizona, desegregation funds are a point of contention. There is a bill making its way through the Arizona legislature that, if passed, will phase out desegregation funds over the next ten years. In this thesis, I begin with a brief history of racial inequality within education and continue with an explanation of how Arizona’s desegregation funds are distributed and the controversy surrounding them. The thesis concludes with a personal analysis of the current state of Arizona’s funding issues.