New legislation sponsored by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Marcia L. Fudge, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, seeks to increase diversity and enhance racial desegregation of the nation’s public schools. If enacted into law, The Stronger Together School Diversity Act of 2016 will encourage voluntary community-driven efforts to increase diversity in schools.
The legislation would authorize $120 million to fund planning and implementation grants to support voluntary local efforts to increase socioeconomic and racial diversity in schools. These grants may include support for programs to expand busing programs, establish school choice zones, create academic programs to attract students from outside the local area, and promote cooperation from neighboring school districts to support increased diversity.
Representative Fudge stated that “Brown v. Board ruled more than 60 years ago that ‘separate is not equal,’ yet it is obvious that many schools are suffering from the effects of de facto segregation. This bill will help bring parity of access and resources to schools across the nation, provide a platform to address inequities within our current education system, and help give all of our students a chance to succeed.”
Congresswoman Fudge earned her bachelor’s degree in business from Ohio State University and law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law at Cleveland State University.
Why must we spend tax dollars to push diversity? I could see much better use of our tax dollars!