'White flight' from Hearne ruled illegal

[CHS_Grad '85]

Looks like Hearne may get the chance to return to 3A...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Updated 6:20 AM on Tuesday, August 9, 2005
'White flight' from Hearne ruled illegal
Mumford ordered to drop students who transferred

By CRAIG KAPITAN
Eagle Staff Writer

Hundreds of students who have transferred from Hearne to the Mumford Independent School District will have to go home to reverse an illegal "white flight" trend that has segregated the districts, according to a ruling delivered out of a federal court in Tyler last week.

In the 110-page document, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William Wayne Justice described Mumford as maintaining a "pattern of fraudulent conduct" in past years as it solicited transfers from Hearne, increasing its enrollment of white students over a 10-year period by 3,540 percent.

The lawsuit was filed by the Hearne school district and three of its students in July 2003. It was based, in part, on the argument that Mumford's actions have been in direct contrast to "No. 5821" - shorthand for a 1970 civil case that stated "no student in Texas will be effectively excluded from equal educational opportunities based on race, color or national origin."

"Mumford has shown consistent and persistent willingness to circumvent the requirements of No. 5281 whenever possible," Justice wrote in the Thursday ruling.

The judge's ruling permanently bars the Texas Education Agency from funding transfers to Mumford that "reduce or impeded racial desegregation at Hearne Independent School District." Districts receive about $5,500 funding from the agency for each student.

Mumford also was ordered to no longer host Hearne students currently attending its schools.

In addition, Justice ordered the TEA to assign a monitor to Mumford to ensure compliance with the ruling from now until the end of the 2007-08 school year.

In response to the accusations, Mumford had argued that "it cannot be determined that [the district's] acceptance of transfers has had a segregative effect on Hearne," according to court documents.

However, Justice sternly dismissed the contention, accusing the school district of apparently having a "misunderstanding of basic arithmetic."

By arguing the transfers out of Hearne affected white enrollment there by -2.82 percent, Mumford "misuses the data and confuses 'percent' with 'percentage points.' This is not just semantics. These two terms have very different meanings."

Hearne desegregated its schools in the 1970s as a result of No.5281, but white families remained reluctant to send their children to a formerly all-black school in a predominantly black area of town, the judge wrote, citing testimony from Morris McDaniel, who retired in 2002 as the town's first black superintendent.

In response, he continued, the school district began an "ability grouping" plan where students were divided among two elementary schools separated into lower ability and higher ability classes. The result was a resegregation of the schools.

After an accreditation by the TEA in 1990, however, the district dropped the plan. Hearne's overall enrollment of white students began declining each year after, while Mumford's population began a steady ascent.

"Hearne parents started transferring their children in earnest around 1991 or 1992," Justice wrote. "Even Hearne school board members transferred their children out of [formerly all black] Blackshear [Elementary School].

"As the leaders of Hearne, these members' decisions to transfer their children raised serious questions in the community about their school district and exacerbated the transfer problem for Hearne."

Between 1990 and 2000 Hearne's white enrollment decreased by 68 percent. Meanwhile, Mumford's population of white students grew by 3,540 percent during that same time period.

Before 1991, Mumford had 57 students - five of whom were white - and served only kindergarten through eighth grade. High schoolers were sent to Hearne. But by the 2002-03 school year, it had ballooned to 500 students and included high school classes. Only 102 of those students actually lived in Mumford.

And by the 2004-2005 school year, all five of Mumford's busses were driving into Hearne to pick up students.

In the ruling, Justice specifically scolded Mumford Superintendent Pete Bienski. The district illegally didn't report transfers at all until 1998, and after that point, Bienski began fraudulently using narrow exemptions to continue the exodus, the ruling states.

As recently as the 2000-01 school year, the school district inaccurately reported its transfers - pegging the number at 200 then later revising it to 348.

Bienski couldn't be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.

"One of the chief purposes of No. 5281 is to prevent the phenomenon of 'white flight,' i.e., the efforts of white parents to keep their children from attending desegregated schools by transferring them." Justice wrote.

However, he later added, "the undisputed facts from the evidence shows that transfers are reducing desegregation in Hearne ... and that the TEA continues to provide Mumford with funding for them."

As a result, he wrote, Hearne now is perceived as a black school district, creating negative and unsubstantiated stereotypes concerning the safety of students.

"All the Hearne educators clearly explained that this makes it harder for Hearne to attract new students because parents hear about Hearne's reputation and are aware of the large numbers of transfers leaving," he said.

The judgment also states that Mumford has only solicited the highest achieving students, leaving a void in Hearne when it comes to ranking against other districts with test scores. And because activities in small towns often revolve around their schools, the segregation also has added to the overall racial division in Hearne, the judge noted.

According to current Hearne Superintendent David Deaver, the lawsuit was intended as a last resort after first trying to fix the problem through the TEA. Not having read completely through Justice's lengthy document yet, he declined to comment on the specifics of the ruling Monday evening. He did, however, express excitement.

"We know it's the right thing to do," he said.

•Craig Kapitan's e-mail address is craig.kapitan@theeagle.com.

[c-town_balla]

So does that mean the people who transfered to Munford have to go back to Hearne?

[Old Cardinal]

There is a lot of ramifications involved in this phenomenon. We all know a few school district territorial areas that are racked with crackhouses, gang warfare, wholesale crime and violence and other sad phenomenas.
It's all ethnic groups-Latinos, Blacks, Whites, Vietnamese and others that are trying to find a safer haven for their children to grow up. Flight from unsafe conditions has and presently is, affecting every racial group in America. Instead of tackling the tap root problem of trying to address the ills of society(crime havens etc) that has been allowed to illegally grow: the Judge has ruled against all the people that have sought a safer place for their children regardless of their race or country of origin.
Tackle the crime wave in the affected areas--make it safe-- and shut down the seeds of violence and all these folks involved want feel they have to flee with their families.
Tackle the real tap root cause or folks will just put their kids in private schools or embrace home schooling: unless the radical faction and activist Judges can find a way to outlaw those alternate endeavors.
We need strong law enforcement in the affected community and schools that have no tolerance on campus violence, for starters.

[KingRob]

I guess this means the white students can
no longer greet each other saying, wass up dawg!? I always thought my generation would stop this irrelevant stuff, but I guess not. :confused:

[FbCoachB40]

Hey,

Old Card. Are you from Hearne? Have you coached aat Hearne? Do you know anyone in Hearne? The High School does not have a problem. SO, if you don't know about it, don't talk about it

[Matthew328]

OC when did anyone say there was a crime wave in Hearne??? Not sure what your point is with your post?? It sounds like what those parents did was flat wrong IMO.... I went to a minority school and because my high school is predominatly African-American we were wrongly tagged as a school that performed low academically and had gang and drug problems and nothing could have been further from the truth.....it really irks me when ignorant people think that because a school has a large minority populus that it is automatically low performing.....some people need to open their minds up and not be so ignorant

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by Matthew328
OC when did anyone say there was a crime wave in Hearne??? Not sure what your point is with your post?? It sounds like what those parents did was flat wrong IMO.... I went to a minority school and because my high school is predominatly African-American we were wrongly tagged as a school that performed low academically and had gang and drug problems and nothing could have been further from the truth.....it really irks me when ignorant people think that because a school has a large minority populus that it is automatically low performing.....some people need to open their minds up and not be so ignorant

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[c-town_balla]

what Old Card said was true about lots of towns and applys to Hearne as well as Cameron. I know people from Hearne and it has a fairly large crime problem. As does Cameron with pretty bad drug trafficing. It's just there hasen't been a "white Flight" from Cameron althought it is starting with people going to nearby Milano. ( Im going to make a point about Race that isn't Racist) The white people of Hearne think it is a "black problem" and they are running from it. But, the whites of Hearne are just as involvled in crime as the Blacks, and the people who are leaving are making it even worst by taking out more of the top students and driving down the Test scores and lowering funding and sending the town into more dissaray and as Old Card said the Root of the problem is the crime and although I don't think its at " crime wave" levals crime is a problem in Hearne and people will leave untill its solved. Cameron also has pepole leaving because of crime and other reasons and our Test Scores are falling we were deemed Aceptable but, one Campus was UnAceptable, and the root of the problem is people leaving because of crime.




People don't go all crazy on me telling me I don't know and that I'm racist because I like to think that I do and I'm not.

[eagle.eyes]

Actually, Hearne is home to the only Walmart in the history of the world which shut it's doors. Why, employee theft. That Walmart store now belongs to the school district!

[jason]

Originally posted by c-town_balla
Cameron also has pepole leaving because of crime and other reasons and our Test Scores are falling we were deemed Aceptable but, one Campus was UnAceptable, and the root of the problem is people leaving because of crime. maybe the test scores are dropping because the kids just arent that bright or because the teachers just arent doing a good job....
if thats the case, can you blame parents for taking their kids to better school districts??
just because there is crime, drugs, etc, doesnt mean a kid cant go home and open a book once and a while...high school is by far the easiest schooling you're ever gonna have, if you cant even get passing grades at the high school level then i hope you're watching out for the real world to smack you in the face...

[CHS_Grad '85]

Originally posted by c-town_balla
So does that mean the people who transfered to Munford have to go back to Hearne?
Yes, the students are being told this morning (Mumford begins school today) that they have to return to Hearne...

Hearne has a bad reputation but as someone who has gone and spent some time there, it's not that bad - their crime is no worse than that of any other city... they have made some changes to their law enforcement that is in the right direction... the school district was in danger of being shut down but Mr. Deaver's found the problem and called the 'state' on it... this town is trying very hard to make positive changes - Hearne is rich in history and they just want to be around in the future and that begins with the kids...

[fb_gurl]

Hearne isn't the only town to ever have Wal - Mart shut down. There has been others. They are however the only Wal - Mart to be shut down due to negative profit. Everyone needs to get their facts straight before they open their.

[FbCoachB40]

Jason,

It all starts with the kids leaving. There are some great teachers at Hearne; however, they always have a lot of first year teachers. Because of the "white flight", they can only afford to pay teachers at state base. Maybe with the increase of revenue; they can pay those teachers what they deserve

[maverick1]

Originally posted by FbCoachB40
Jason,

It all starts with the kids leaving. There are some great teachers at Hearne; however, they always have a lot of first year teachers. Because of the "white flight", they can only afford to pay teachers at state base. Maybe with the increase of revenue; they can pay those teachers what they deserve It does start with kids leaving. And if jason is right, then the parents are doing their job by getting them out of there. Parents dont care if the school system will be good in 5 years, they want their kids in a good school system right now !!!

[YBS]

I don't know about Hearne or this situation in particular, but I do know that low school performance and crime/poverty/violence usually go hand-in-hand for a reason. We as humans all care about survival. It's an innate human personal responsibility. The only time we discard our own personal survival is for those we love. If these children live in areas where: "a) their family struggles for suitable employment, b) gang and/or drug violence is prominent, c) poverty is high, d) all of the above" children will typically abandon studying for that Biology test to seek ways to feed their families or escape the poverty. Ironically, the methods they emplore to escape these maladies may be illegal itself. It's one of the vicious human cycles that our country doesn't know how to truly deal with and most people don't understand.:(

[rockdale80]

If I were a parent I would want my children to have the best possible education available. I do not think that any racial issues should be raised concerning kids attending Mumford unless of course Mumford would not accept any other transfers. If that were the case then shame on them. If not, then how is it racially inclined considering black students could also transfer to Mumford. I think it was just the parents wanting to give their kids a better education. What happens in the future of the school has no impact on what sort of education a junior or senior in high school will receive.

[FbCoachB40]

Just for you people that really don't know the situation.....

Mumford got in trouble because of their tactics, not because of the transfers. They were targeting White students. Mumford sent buses into Hearne's district to pick them up. One bus would stop right in front of the High School Gym and pick up kids.

[sicem74]

I live in Hearne and its not bad at all quit putting them down, its not a bad place to live, not a lot of crimes, and its a great place so hearne is not bad just to tell you all!

[CHS_Grad '85]

Originally posted by FbCoachB40
Just for you people that really don't know the situation.....

Mumford got in trouble because of their tactics, not because of the transfers. They were targeting White students. Mumford sent buses into Hearne's district to pick them up. One bus would stop right in front of the High School Gym and pick up kids. True...
~~~~~~~~~~
Updated 6:38 AM on Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Mumford to run buses
Plans to appeal ruling on student transfers from Hearne

By HOLLY HUFFMAN
Eagle Staff Writer


The top Mumford school administrator suggested Tuesday he might defy a recent court order to turn away transfer students from Hearne when classes begin Wednesday.

Schools Superintendent Pete Bienski offered little comment and did not directly say the district wouldn't comply with the ruling. But he did say Tuesday that the five school district buses - which travel daily to Hearne to pick up transfer students - will operate as scheduled.

"We are not surprised at the decision by [Senior U.S. District Court Judge] William Wayne Justice, and it will be appealed," Bienski said Tuesday. "Tomorrow is our first day of school, and the buses will be running."

The district was ordered by Justice last week to refuse the transfers of white students from Hearne, a "white flight" trend that has segregated the neighboring school districts.

The 110-page ruling, issued Thursday, stems from a 2003 lawsuit filed by the Hearne school district and three of its students. The petition accused Mumford of siphoning off white students.

In his ruling, Justice barred Mumford schools from accepting transfer students - including those currently enrolled - if doing so contributes to segregation in Hearne.

He also ordered the Texas Education Agency to deny funding to the district for the students at issue and to assign a monitor to review district transfers for the next three years.

While the TEA maintains that it has been "sanctioning" Mumford since 2002 via lengthy conversations with Bienski, numerous letters detailing transfer regulations and appointing a monitor, Justice said the agency still is at fault for continuing to fund transfer students in violation of "No. 5281."

The number refers to a 1970 civil case over which Justice presided that was responsible for desegregating Texas public schools.

Justice noted in his ruling that 336 white students were enrolled in Hearne during the 1998-99 school year, but that number dropped more than 50 percent to 153 students by the 2003-04 school year. It was unclear Tuesday how many of those students actually transferred to Mumford, but Justice said it was enough that the racial balance of Hearne schools no longer reflected that of the community.

Justice would not comment on the case or Bienski's plan to run buses as previously scheduled, representatives from his office said Tuesday.

Hearne Superintendent David Deaver told The Eagle on Tuesday that he could comment only via written statement, but he did not respond to an e-mail sent late Tuesday.

TEA spokeswoman Suzanne Marchman said Tuesday she had been unaware that a ruling was made on the case and likely would know more Wednesday.

Concerned parents of transfer students should call the Mumford school district "as soon as possible" to ensure their children meet all transfer requirements, she advised.

The Mumford school district employs about 30 teachers, but Bienski would not say how many might lose their jobs if Hearne transfer students were sent back to their home schools.

He pointed to the district's diverse population - 60 percent Hispanic, 10 percent black and 40 percent white - and then declined further comment, saying he was following the instructions of Houston-based attorney David Feldman.

It was unclear Tuesday whether an appeal had been filed. Feldman could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

[CHS_CG]

Originally posted by sicem74
I live in Hearne and its not bad at all quit putting them down, its not a bad place to live, not a lot of crimes, and its a great place so hearne is not bad just to tell you all!


Hearne isnt that bad, but every year i was in band for football games we had to have a police escort in and out of the town. That is pretty scary you have to have a police escort for a high school football game bc of out busses been vandalized durning football games.

[CHS_Grad '85]

CG - That goes back to the rivalry days... heck if that's the case - we should have had one in Cameron that one year - you know what I'm talking about...

[fb_gurl]

I remember.... It was scary. It seems like every town is getting a lil worse than it was year after year.

Why can't everybody just get along peacefully?

[CHS_CG]

Originally posted by CHS_Grad '85
CG - That goes back to the rivalry days... heck if that's the case - we should have had one in Cameron that one year - you know what I'm talking about...

oh yeah I do! and FBGurl is right every town is gettin worse instead of better. But I do NOT seeing people get along ever!

[WOS1]

People, the bottom line to all of this "white flight" is racism. You can paint it, scrub it and try to dress it up anyway you want, but the truth is that people ARE racist. Yeah, you have violence and declining test scores and blah, blah, blah. Those are just folks justifications for their actions and are nothing but a bunch of bull. All of these problems arise as a RESULT of "white flight". I graduated from WO-S in 84 and the same thing is happening there. People use the same exact excuses here as they are in Hearne and it's just as much a bunch of hog wash here as it is there. Yes, there is crime and low test scores, but this is an anomally that occurs anytime an economically diverse population becomes a lower income population. That is what happens with "white flight". My daughter goes to WO-S and wouldn't leave for anything and she is getting a WONDERFUL education. Educations have more to do with the children and the parents than they do the school district it is being received in. WO-S, at one time, had some of the best test scores in the state, then, somewhere in the early 90's. People started moving the white kids out to the white schools like LCM and Orangfield and now the WO-S enrollment has plumeted while the other schools have increased dramatically. Subsequently, the test scores started declining around the same time... go figure.

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by sicem74
I live in Hearne and its not bad at all quit putting them down, its not a bad place to live, not a lot of crimes, and its a great place so hearne is not bad just to tell you all!

Why don't you attend school in Hearne instead of Cameron? :thinking: :confused:

[sicem74]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
Why don't you attend school in Hearne instead of Cameron? :thinking: :confused:
because i just like cameron!

[West22]

This is a classic case of the courts trying to dictate to people where they should go to school etc. I think that the hispanic students should protest to the courts for wanting to move the white students back to Hearne.This will only make Mumford a predomintely hispanic school.When will our courts realize that the only way to produce harmony between races is not threw force but by encourging all races to act responsibly.If Mimford would not allow black students to transfer that would be an injustace .Sounds like Hearne needs to clean their act up .By the way the wal mart did close due to non profit due to the theft that could not be controlled .They moved to Navasota.

[Matthew328]

My question is this...why can't we get back to the days where if you live in attendance zone you attend that school....if you live in Hearne ISD zone you go to Hearne...if you live in Mumford ISD zone you go to Mumford.....

Mumford ISD should NOT I repeat not be sending their buses into the middle of Hearne to pick kids up...I wonder how the kids at Hearne feel when a bus pulls right up in front of their school to take students to Mumford...you think it makes those kids feel good??? I am sure some of em feel like second class citizens like they aren't good enough to go to Mumford....... Reminds me of seperate but equal if you ask me..

By the way how long ago did this Wal-Mart shut down?? And what does that have to do with anything? Hearne may have a problem with crime but I'd bet it is no worse than other small towns in that area....

[lepfan]

Maybe Ruby Payne could get involved and get this straight.

[c-town_balla]

Originally posted by Matthew328


By the way how long ago did this Wal-Mart shut down?? And what does that have to do with anything? Hearne may have a problem with crime but I'd bet it is no worse than other small towns in that area....

The thing about the Wal-MArt is now it seems to be there high School. I don't know if all of the classes are there or what ,but the old wal-mart now says Hearne High School

[sahen]

well to relate this to football...

i think it's safe to say if Mumford goes from 500 to 100 in enrollment their football season is pretty much shot, whereas those extra 400 students in Hearne MIGHT cause a pleasant surprise....

[CHS_Grad '85]

The W-M closed in the late 80's - '88 or '89... the school district converted it to the new HS because the community didn't want to build new campus'...

My question is this - why just the Mumford transfers? What about all the kids that are going to Bryan ISD, Milano ISD or other schools?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Updated 7:13 AM on Thursday, August 11, 2005
Mumford denied stay

Must turn Hearne students away for duration of appeals process

By HOLLY HUFFMAN
Eagle Staff Writer


MUMFORD -A judge Wednesday denied a request from Mumford schools to let white transfer students from Hearne remain in the district while administrators appeal an earlier court order forcing them to leave.

The denial - which came on the first day of the new school year in Mumford - means about 60 white students from Hearne will be turned away if they show up Thursday for the second day of classes.

Hearne school officials expressed excitement over Wednesday's decision and said they were eager to welcome back the transfer students to their home district.

But the judgment left Mumford school officials rushing to appeal the denial to a higher court and some angry Hearne parents saying they might look into a reverse discrimination lawsuit against their home district.

"We have some very upset parents," Mumford Superintendent Pete Bienski said Wednesday after beginning to call mothers and fathers of the students at issue.

The developments came on the heels of a court order issued last week by Senior U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice.

His original order, handed down last Thursday, was that Mumford refuse the transfers of white students from Hearne to eliminate a "white flight" trend that segregated the neighboring school districts. The judge also ordered the Texas Education Agency to stop sending Mumford funding for the transfer students.

The ruling stemmed from a 2003 lawsuit filed by the Hearne school district and three students claiming that Mumford was siphoning off Hearne's white students, segregating the districts.

Justice also is the judge who refused to grant Mumford's request for an emergency stay Wednesday.

The appeals were filed Wednesday, said David Feldman, a Houston attorney representing Bienski and the Mumford school district.

"It's always disappointing to lose, if you will, at any level," Feldman said. "However, we're not surprised by this. We anticipated that this was going to be a long road and that it would be a matter that would have to be addressed by the appellate court."

Hearne schools Superintendent David Deaver estimated Wednesday that the number of Hearne students now enrolled in Mumford schools could be as high as 300.

However, the judge's ruling pertains only to white students who do not meet hardship exceptions. Hispanic and black transfer students can continue attending Mumford schools because their departure doesn't upset the racial balance of the Hearne school district, Justice ruled.

Bienski said more than 210 Hearne students are enrolled in the Mumford school district. Of those, about 110 are Hispanic, more than 60 are white and roughly 40 are black, he said, without providing exact figures.

About 60 of the white students are causing the district to be in violation of "No. 5281" - the common name for a 1970 civil case over which Justice presided that led to the desegregation of Texas public schools.

A handful of additional white students from Hearne will be allowed to stay because they are either seniors or the children of teachers in the Mumford district. Both groups are allowed to remain under hardship exceptions, Bienski said.

Reactions were varied among parents dropping off their children Wednesday morning for Mumford's first day of school. Most Hearne parents seemed defiant, but that feeling turned to anger as word spread that Justice had denied Mumford's stay request.

Some parents from surrounding areas expressed worry over what would become of the school district if Hearne students were forced to leave. One woman said her teenage son feared the school would close down if students were sent back to Hearne because enrollment wouldn't be high enough to keep the doors open.

Deaver said in a written statement that he was expecting many of the transfer students to return to Hearne and that the district has plenty of room to accommodate them.

Hearne schools currently enroll 1,187 students, but capacity is more than 1,600 students, Deaver said. The recently renovated high school has room for more than 500 additional students, and a $13.9 million bond package passed last month will allow the district to build new elementary and junior high campuses, as well as a new band hall, gym and weight room, he explained.

The junior high should be built by August 2006, and the elementary school is expected to open its doors the following December, he said.

Deaver pointed to the "academically acceptable" ratings given this year to the district and its four campuses. He touted students' academic improvement and continued athletic success.

"Fair is fair. We teach our students to do the right thing in the classroom. They should expect no less of their school district," Deaver said in his written statement.

"Districts and communities are stronger and more unified when students attend their district of residence. We believe it is important for schools to follow state and federal laws. If Hearne ISD had not taken a stand, we would not be doing our part in obeying the law."

• Holly Huffman's e-mail address is holly.huffman@theeagle.com.

[BU97]

This is not just a Hearne problem. There is a town close to where I live that people send there kids to b/c the perception is that we have too many blacks in our district. In truth, I bet that the ethnic breakdowns are actually pretty similar with the exception that our district is about twice the size as the other. People always tell me that they are sending their kids out b/c they want their kids to get a better education. That is a bunch of crap, I want to say "be honest, you just don't want little Johnny to have to go to school with a black kid!" I guess there definition of a "better education" is one where all the faces are white! Heck, WE even have a school board member who sends his kids to the other district down the road, needless to say he is the biggest joke of a board member I have ever seen!

I say good for the courts, they did what was right. We all have to live together and kids need to learn that early, at school!

[HWY87]

You sound like a preacher BU97, have you thought about a career in "the cloth". I like your stance though

[Phantom Stang]

Originally posted by CHS_Grad '85


However, the judge's ruling pertains only to white students who do not meet hardship exceptions. Hispanic and black transfer students can continue attending Mumford schools because their departure doesn't upset the racial balance of the Hearne school district, Justice ruled.

Bienski said more than 210 Hearne students are enrolled in the Mumford school district. Of those, about 110 are Hispanic, more than 60 are white and roughly 40 are black, he said, without providing exact figures.
In my opinion, considering these the facts, the judge's ruling is racist all on it's own.

[sicem74]

Originally posted by c-town_balla
The thing about the Wal-MArt is now it seems to be there high School. I don't know if all of the classes are there or what ,but the old wal-mart now says Hearne High School
no ctown ball its not all classes its just hearne high...... they got blackshear elementry,and hearne jr high and sumthin else its been a while i forgot lol!

[Phantom Stang]

Originally posted by Phantom Stang
In my opinion, considering these the facts, the judge's ruling is racist all on it's own.

[Phantom Stang]

oops!! I meant to edit my post, not to quote it!:doh:

[BU97]

Originally posted by HWY87
You sound like a preacher BU97, have you thought about a career in "the cloth". I like your stance though

Well I had to take "preaching 101" at Baylor, but that is about it.

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by CHS_Grad '85


Bienski said more than 210 Hearne students are enrolled in the Mumford school district. Of those, about 110 are Hispanic, more than 60 are white and roughly 40 are black, he said, without providing exact figures.



Doesn't seem too racially motivated to me, especially considering how many of each ethnicity are attending another school.

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by BU97
This is not just a Hearne problem. There is a town close to where I live that people send there kids to b/c the perception is that we have too many blacks in our district. In truth, I bet that the ethnic breakdowns are actually pretty similar with the exception that our district is about twice the size as the other. People always tell me that they are sending their kids out b/c they want their kids to get a better education. That is a bunch of crap, I want to say "be honest, you just don't want little Johnny to have to go to school with a black kid!" I guess there definition of a "better education" is one where all the faces are white! Heck, WE even have a school board member who sends his kids to the other district down the road, needless to say he is the biggest joke of a board member I have ever seen!

I say good for the courts, they did what was right. We all have to live together and kids need to learn that early, at school!


Guess if you had read the article above you would realize that your "white faces" theory has holes in it.

[Phantom Stang]

Updated 6:44 AM on Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Mumford schools case overturned

By KELLY BROWN
Eagle Staff Writer

A federal appeals court has ruled no evidence exists that Mumford schools illegally segregates students by siphoning out white students, charges made three years ago this week by the Hearne school district.

The decision filed late Monday by the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit states that the battle between Hearne and Mumford is being fought for transfer dollars rather than racial justice. The ruling reverses U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice's contrary conclusion a year ago.

In 2003, Mumford schools Superintendent Pete Bienski was named in a lawsuit filed by Hearne ISD, accusing the school district of a conspiracy to pull white students out of Hearne. Bienski said the appellate decision was a victory.

The Hearne school district and three black students in 2003 filed a federal lawsuit against Mumford, its superintendent and the Texas Education Agency, accusing each of being part of a conspiracy to pull white students out of Hearne and into neighboring Mumford, which is several miles away.

Hearne can ask the appellate court for a rehearing or go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court and ask for the latest ruling to be thrown out. Hearne officials Tuesday afternoon said they're still considering their options.

Pete Bienski, superintendent of the 450-student Mumford school district, described the appellate decision as a major victory for parents and students.

"We anticipated a favorable ruling but [are] so happy it finally came," said Bienski, whose attorneys presented the district's appeal 10 months ago. "All along I've said the only thing we've been guilty of is educating children and providing a quality education."

Hearne's attorney, Roger Hepworth, said they're "obviously disappointed."

"Among other things, we needed to prove this was done for discriminatory reasons," he said. "Our experience is that people aren't going to admit they're transferring their children to avoid going to school with blacks. They won't admit it, so it's hard to prove."

Last August, Judge Justice ruled that Mumford's actions in accepting transfer students from Hearne created segregation, so he ordered the state to stop sending Mumford funding for the transfer students. Justice attempted to bar Hearne residents from attending Mumford schools, but the appeals court in New Orleans overturned his decision pending the outcome of the lawsuit.

While the Hearne children were allowed to stay in Mumford classrooms, however, the state dollars paying for their education were removed. That meant financing for the 70 or so students in question had to come directly from Mumford's pockets. At an estimated $5,000 per student, that's been $350,000 each year that the district has had to come up with in its $3.3 million budget.

"I'm not going to say it's been easy. It's been a lot of dedicated people working really hard to make things work," Bienski said, adding that cuts in supplies and technology have been made to accommodate the transfers. None of the transfer students returned to Hearne, he said.

Now Mumford schools will ask the state to reimburse the district for the $1 million-plus over the past three years, as well as for the funding to start up again once school begins Aug. 9.

The original lawsuit, which accuses families of "white flight," asked the court to remedy the situation by having Hearne absorb Mumford into its district. Parents who send their children to Mumford took offense to the allegation, saying discipline problems at Hearne campuses and the quality of education are what prompted them to pull their kids from Hearne classrooms.

The number of white students in Hearne has dropped since the early 1990s, when Mumford first opened its doors, but the number of black students also has dropped slightly, according to the state. The percentage has risen because black students are making up a larger chunk of the population as more white students leave.

Meanwhile, Mumford's white and Hispanic populations have grown while the number of black students has doubled. At the same time, the percentage dropped because they made up a smaller proportion of the population as other races increased in number.

Mumford officials have long argued that accepting transfer students has made their district more diverse. About 50 percent of its students are Hispanic, 40 percent are white and 10 percent are black, Bienski has said.

In 2002-2003, 187 of the 362 white public school students living in Hearne transferred out of the district. Out of those, 130 transferred to Mumford and just 10 of those met hardship exemptions. Those exemptions were spelled out in a 1970 civil case over which Judge Justice presided that led to the desegregation of Texas public schools.

The appellate court said those numbers are what turned the case in Mumford's favor.

"The [federal district] court skewed its analysis toward the complaining district alone and arbitrarily excluded Hispanics, the racial group that has grown considerably in both Hearne and Mumford," the appellate court said in its ruling. "Moreover, the court's focus seems to have been misplaced on racial balancing for its own sake rather than on effectuating the more tailored remedies required in recent years by the Supreme Court and this court."

The appellate court ruling also admonishes the state for using percentages in calculating changes in student population by race, suggesting it use actual numbers to allow for better accuracy.

The issue already had been investigated by the Texas Education Agency in September of 2002 before it assigned a monitor to ensure Mumford complied with the 1973 ruling that governs the transfer of students.

Whether that monitor, who visits the district a few times a month to check up on who is enrolled, will remain in Mumford wasn't clear. The attorneys who handled the case for the TEA were out of town Tuesday, and the monitor, Don Robbins, could not be reached for comment.

© 2000 - 2006 The Bryan-College Station Eagle

[District303aPastPlayer]

LU-Da-Cris!

[Phantom Stang]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
LU-Da-Cris!
What do you find to be ludicrous? The original ruling? or the fact that it was overturned?

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by Phantom Stang
What do you find to be ludicrous? The original ruling? or the fact that it was overturned?

the fact that it was overturned and deemed legal

[Phantom Stang]

Maybe you were just plugging the singer?:D

[Phantom Stang]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
the fact that it was overturned and deemed legal
If the original ruling had applied to ALL students who reside within the Hearne boundaries, it would have been fine. But to imply that the only reason white students transfered was because of race, is absurd.

[Chief Woodman]

Originally posted by FbCoachB40
Jason,

It all starts with the kids leaving. There are some great teachers at Hearne; however, they always have a lot of first year teachers. Because of the "white flight", they can only afford to pay teachers at state base. Maybe with the increase of revenue; they can pay those teachers what they deserve


Looks like the coach did not know what he was talking about at all. It now looks as if there is no "White Flight" at all. Instead it is ALL races that have parents who want something better for their kids. Coach can say all he wants that there is no problem, but the unbiased evidence suggests that there is a problem in Hearne. How do you explain that over 1/2 of the students who have transfered are minorities? I for one cannot say WHAT the problem is, but there definately IS a problem. To say there is no problem is just irrational.

[luvhoops34]

Originally posted by eagle.eyes
Actually, Hearne is home to the only Walmart in the history of the world which shut it's doors. Why, employee theft. That Walmart store now belongs to the school district!

You're wrong on that one.....The Wal Mart in Robstown was shut down for the same reason. Peeps were walking out of there with tv's, vcr's, etc all overlooked by the employees on purpose.

[luvhoops34]

Originally posted by fb_gurl
Hearne isn't the only town to ever have Wal - Mart shut down. There has been others. They are however the only Wal - Mart to be shut down due to negative profit. Everyone needs to get their facts straight before they open their.

uhhh, wouldn't employee theft cause negative profit????

[Emerson1]

Don't see what the problem is, if parents don't want there kids to go to a certain school for whatever reason seems like they should be allowed to transfer them. Unless one school district said we don't want this race of student doesn't seem like any law was broken

[luvhoops34]

Sounds to me like the Hearne super was pissed because with so many students transferring, it made his school look bad.

People are not going to transfer their kids in droves if the school district is doing their job.

News flash, parents have the right to send their kid to any school they choose. Especially if they are not happy with the education, their kids are getting at their present school. If that means transferring then fine.

We have kids who transfer to Poth all the time for academic reasons. Most of these are elementary kids, because Poth has a very good elementary school.

If Mumford wasn't refusing minority kids, then I don't see the problem, except for sour grapes on Hearne's part.

[hud]

yea since hutto is growing and some of the farm kids are transfiring to granger and more and more drugs and stuff is coming from the city, im ok with the groth of hutto but its growing to fast and we arent gitting many good football players.

[West22]

I WONDER IF THE KIDS NOW WHO TRANSFER BACK TO HEARNE WILL HAVE TO SIT OUT A YEAR BEFORE THEY CAN PLAY VARSITY SPORTS?

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by luvhoops34
You're wrong on that one.....The Wal Mart in Robstown was shut down for the same reason. Peeps were walking out of there with tv's, vcr's, etc all overlooked by the employees on purpose. What kind of person.....people can do that?? Are they just plain stupid....cuz to do that, it hurt the store, and which in turn it appears it lost them a job!! I mean how dumb can one be?? What is becoming of our world.....I am really disgusted at alot of people that I have to live with.... cheating, thieving, don't care if they kill someone, filthy dirty houses and filthy dirty children running around..doing the same thing they see their lazy butt parents doing......Can we segregate ourselves from them?? Cuz I'd be the first one in line!! I am a single parent who works hard to maintain a nice yard and house and raise kids who have morals and values and respect life!! I am tired of having to co-exist with those who just don't give a freakin' dang!!!! This world is just getting dirtier, junk everywhere....no one cares, they just have their hands out, screaming "you owe me!!"!!........I HATE IT!!! :mad::mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by Bandera YaYa
What kind of person.....people can do that?? Are they just plain stupid....cuz to do that, it hurt the store, and which in turn it appears it lost them a job!! I mean how dumb can one be?? What is becoming of our world.....I am really disgusted at alot of people that I have to live with.... cheating, thieving, don't care if they kill someone, filthy dirty houses and filthy dirty children running around..doing the same thing they see their lazy butt parents doing......Can we segregate ourselves from them?? Cuz I'd be the first one in line!! I am a single parent who works hard to maintain a nice yard and house and raise kids who have morals and values and respect life!! I am tired of having to co-exist with those who just don't give a freakin' dang!!!! This world is just getting dirtier, junk everywhere....no one cares, they just have their hands out, screaming "you owe me!!"!!........I HATE IT!!! :mad::mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Damn, woman, you tell it because I smell it....... ;)

[Bandera YaYa]

Originally posted by Gobbla2001
Damn, woman, you tell it because I smell it....... D ;) Ha.....well I just get sooooo irritated...no reason to have a diry house or a dirty yard or dirty kids!!!!! Where is the pride???? UGH!!!!!!

[VWG]

Look at Abilene Wylie, Tuscola Jim Ned.... their enrollments are increasing. Why is Abilene Cooper and Abilene High decreasing?
Look at Lubbock Cooper... another growing school on the outskirts of Lubbock. People are moving their kids away from Lubbock High, Monterey, and Coronado.
What about Wall near San Angelo. I know of a business associate who built a house in the Wall school district just to get his kids out of San Angelo Central High School.
Why was WF City View (2a school that opened about 5 or 6 years ago) opened up when WFISD had three high schools?
Why has WF City View taken kids away from WF Hirschi? WF Hirschi is now in 3A... a level of enrollment they have never seen before.
Take a look all around the state.
Why are people moving to Krum ISD, Aubrey, Ponder ISD, etc.. instead of keeping their kids in the Denton schools?
I could go on for hours with examples.......

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by VWG
Look at Abilene Wylie, Tuscola Jim Ned.... their enrollments are increasing. Why is Abilene Cooper and Abilene High decreasing?
Look at Lubbock Cooper... another growing school on the outskirts of Lubbock. People are moving their kids away from Lubbock High, Monterey, and Coronado.
What about Wall near San Angelo. I know of a business associate who built a house in the Wall school district just to get his kids out of San Angelo Central High School.
Why was WF City View (2a school that opened about 5 or 6 years ago) opened up when WFISD had three high schools?
Why has WF City View taken kids away from WF Hirschi? WF Hirschi is now in 3A... a level of enrollment they have never seen before.
Take a look all around the state.
Why are people moving to Krum ISD, Aubrey, Ponder ISD, etc.. instead of keeping their kids in the Denton schools?
I could go on for hours with examples.......

I have no knowledge of the races who are leaving etc... but I'm pretty sure it is not a black/white/brown/blue issue... parents these days don't mind forkin' over a little dough so they can move their kids to a better environment.... that's why we moved back to Cuero before my fish year, we didn't like the environment where we were and it had nothing to do with race, just with attitude...