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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Is 21st century ‘tipping point’ why white students continue to flee Indy’s township schools

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Since there’s so many urban myths, misconceptions and outright lies going around about diversity in school enrollments, I decided to educate readers and the community about the facts. And also to show up our local media who’ve routinely ignored this major topic.

First, some background. The past few weeks I’ve surveyed the major school districts and charter schools gathering data on their racial and ethnic enrollment diversity for the current 2013-2014 school year.

Education reformers, including the folks at The Mind Trust, Mayor Greg Ballard and his education cabal and the group Democrats (white) for Education Reform have continued to disseminate the falsehood that Indy’s white flight is because of the lack of educational quality in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). Here are the facts.

Again this new school year, of Indianapolis/Marion County’s 11 school corporations, 10 showed declines in non-Hispanic white enrollment. Only Beech Grove City schools showed an increase in white students.

The white decline in enrollment wasn’t caused by white students leaving IPS. Only 166 white students left IPS this school year; while 1,557 left the city/county’s other nine districts. Of the decline in non-Hispanic white students between last school year and this; just 9.6 percent lived in the IPS district, the remaining 90.4 percent attended township schools.

This wide disparity isn’t a one-year aberration.

A recent reason for a bit of the non-Hispanic white student decline in the townships has been the onset of Indiana’s school voucher system; the largest in America.

I got a shock when I examined the enrollment data and saw that fast growing Franklin Township schools saw their first decline in white enrollment.

Indiana’s A-F accountability system grades Franklin Township’s schools as an “A” district – one of the best in the state.

So, why would white students leave such a quality school district with quality schools? I don’t believe people have stopped moving into the Southeastside township.

Instead, Franklin Township’s and some of the other white enrollment decline is because of the expansion of vouchers.

But the larger and more disturbing reason for white flight from the city/county’s major districts has nothing to do with IPS’ educational deficiencies. And I don’t think it has to do with the lack of quality in the township schools.

No, I’m beginning to think this 21st century white flight is occurring for a more basic, primal reason.

In the sociology of racial integration and race relations in America, there’s a phenomenon called the “tipping point.” That’s when the percentage of Blacks and minorities that moved into a neighborhood reached a level, which caused whites to start to flee in droves.

I maintain that Indianapolis is experiencing a 21st century “tipping point” as non-Hispanic white families leave otherwise great neighborhoods, with good quality public schools, because white students in those schools are no longer the majority.

Let me share with you some stats that aren’t reported in Indianapolis media. Facts that aren’t discussed by community leaders.

Take a look at the current racial/ethnic diversity of major school districts.

This school year, Warren Township schools are: 48.3 percent Black; 31.8 percent non-Hispanic white; 11.5 percent Hispanic.

Lawrence Township Schools: 41.1 percent Black; 31.7 percent non-Hispanic white; 18.7 percent Hispanic.

Washington Township Schools: 39.1 percent Black; 32.8 percent non-Hispanic white; 16.6 percent Hispanic.

Wayne Township Schools: 39.4 percent non-Hispanic white; 30.6 percent Black; 22.8 percent Hispanic.

And the district with the highest percentage of minority students – Pike Township Schools: 59.0 percent Black; 20.5 percent Hispanic; 11.8 percent non-Hispanic white.

When federal Judge S. Hugh Dillin ordered Black students to be bused to the townships, except for Washington and Pike townships that had some racial diversity in their schools, the other townships at the time were virtually all white.

From what you just read, that’s not the case today.

Here’s another example of the changing racial/ethnic complexion of Indy’s public schools.

When cross district student busing in Indianapolis began in 1981, Perry Township on the city’s Southside was the area where Blacks and others had a real fear that violence would break out as Blacks integrated that all white district.

Today, 31 years later, non-Hispanic whites make up just 59.8 percent of Perry Township’s school enrollment.

Blacks comprise just 6.5 percent of Perry’s students; nearly all living in the township. Some 14.5 percent of Perry’s students are Asian; fueled by the township’s large Chins (Burmese) community. Hispanics make up 13.6 percent of enrollment.

One theory why whites have been leaving Indianapolis township schools and their neighborhoods in the past decade isn’t deterioration in the quality of township schools.

If that were the case, then Mayor Ballard, The Mind Trust and education reformers would be raging about the issue. Charters would be springing up all over the townships.

No, I maintain that the racial diversity in Indy’s township school districts has caused this new “white flight” from the schools. A phenomenon of racial intolerance that Indianapolis leaders have refused to come to grips with.

Look at the severely sharp decline this year in non-Hispanic white students in the Lawrence Township schools. According to the preliminary data sent to me by the district, Lawrence Township’s non-Hispanic white enrollment dropped 9.9 percent, or 507 students, from last school year to 4,613. The largest white decline of any Indy district.

That stunning drop can’t just be explained by students in the Northeastside district moving out of the county or using vouchers at private schools.

To me, there’s only one cogent explanation. And I think we know what it is.

I’ll have more on diversity in our public schools next week. See ‘ya then.

Email comments to acbrown@aol.com.

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