Many schools in the South deal with desegregation. This is not entirely due to racism, but rather economical standings.

In Huntsville Alabama, schools are fighting a rather large law suit against a segregation issue in their school system. Plans like re-zoning and combining schools have been in effect but rather than solving the problem, it created a confusing situation between the court and citizens.

Earlier this year Huntsville City Schools closed one high school and rezoned the remaining schools in hope to balance the racial percentages in each school. However, the new zoning stretched far into other neighborhoods that were already relatively close to their school. This leads to many students riding on the bus for more than 45 minutes to ride to or from school. Although the rezoning did help balance out the racial percentages in schools, bussing around kids doesn’t completely solve the problem.

Shannon Enfinger says that the “desegregation attempts in Huntsville will not be entirely fixed until economic situations are changed in the region.” This is due to a large population of families with lower income who are then in return living in homes that cost significantly less than homes located in places such as Jones Valley.

Personally, I view a solution to this unavoidable situation is better placements of schools in the area. This would create new school zones that would not transport students to the other side of Huntsville.

Other solutions could possibly include a new program where money is donated from city to improve the quality of neighborhoods and parks in the poorer regions around schools. This would in hope create a higher interest in buying homes in that area from other races.

Mrs. Panagos, a teacher, added, “Changing the way public schools are funded and making sure that each school is getting equal funding, no matter its location or demographics would be a step in the right direction. Every student deserves access to a safe, acceptable learning space, up-to-date technology, and the best teachers.  It’s hard to overcome generational poverty when your education is limited and compromise from the get-go.”