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State Says Sheff Goals More Than Met; Lawyer For Plaintiffs Not So Sure

State Says 67 Percent Of Hartford Minority Students Seeking School Choice Options Got Them This Year

Kathleen Megan

November 22, 2011

The state reported Monday that it exceeded the 2011 goal set by the Sheff v. O'Neill desegregation case, but a lawyer for the plaintiffs said further analysis of the figures is needed.

Mark Linabury, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said a 2008 court stipulation required that the state meet 65 percent of the demand by Hartford minority students for school choice options in 2011.

He said the state has met the demand of 66.92 percent of those students this year.

"We are pleased with our performance," Linabury said. "We look forward to working with our partners to achieve further progress as time goes by."

Martha Stone, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case, said further analysis must be done on the numbers.

"We have some questions around the counting," Stone said.

If the percentage is accurate, the state will still have a way to go before meeting the Sheff goal for October 2012.

By then, the state must meet 80 percent of the demand by Hartford students for school choice programs or must enroll at least 41 percent of Hartford minority students in integrated schools.

According to the figures released Monday, 32 percent of Hartford minority students are enrolled in integrated schools this school year.

A statement from Linabury said the "state will work with our partners to exceed" the 80 percent goal by October 2012.