| History of Desegregation |
James B. Sanderlin, Attorney 1929-1990 |
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October 24, 2000 - School Board votes on proposed Choice Plan |
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Choice Student Assignment Plan - Amended January 9, 2007 |
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Current Student Assignment Plan - December 18, 2007 |
Fred Minnis recruited Jim Sanderlin to move to St. Petersburg in 1962 and expand the number of African American lawyers.
In 1972 he became the first African American County Judge and in 1976 the first African American Circuit Judge.
On May 7, 1964, a complaint was filed with the federal courts challenging a state-imposed dual system of public schools. On behalf of five African American families, Mr. Sanderlin successfully sued the Pinellas County School system to desegregate the schools. This action simultaneously desegregated schools in Sarasota and Hillsborough counties.
At the time, 10,000 of the 10,200 black students in Pinellas attended all-black public schools and no white children attended predominately black public schools.
On July 23, 1971, the federal court entered an order approving a plan to desegregate the Pinellas public schools, declaring the new system "unitary," or free from discrimination. The court set up a Bi-racial advisory committee to watch the process and retained jurisdiction of the case.
The court imposed race ratios at that time so that school populations could not contain more than 30 percent black students or less than 3.1 percent black students in senior highs, 5.6 percent black students in junior highs and 9.1 percent black students in elementary schools. Later the ratios were amended to reflect the greater density of black population in the southern part of the county, and to limit the distances students would be bused.
The court-ordered plan of busing students within the county and shifts in school attendance zones to meet race ratios formed the basic system of student assignment that has been the status quo for three decades. The greater burden of busing fell to black families, whose children were more often bused out to more predominantly white schools.
Before 1971:
All white, all black schools
All black schools - Inferior facilities and textbooks, teachers were not as well trained.
1964:
Six black plaintiffs filed suit to seek same educational opportunities as white children.
1971:
Court Order - Racial percentages established
* Ulmerton Road was the dividing line
* 70/30 ratio
* Implications were different for North-South County
* South - rotation zones, satellite zones
* North - blacks were bused for desegregation
Recent Years - Flexing ratios
April 1998 - School Board votes to seek Unitary Status
August 1999 - Judge rules on 3 factors
December 1999 - School Board votes on remaining 4 factors awaiting ruling from Judge Merryday
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