Correction~"We Shall Overcome Someday"

Several groups, including Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, show their support for the Huntsville Board of Education by standing together on the steps of the Annie Merts Center on March 18, 2014. Community leaders spoke in support of the school board while protesters stood on the sidewalk. (Eric Schultz / eschultz@al.com) 

Correction:  The DOJ and the HCS agree to the closing Butler High School, what is not agreed to is combining J.O.Johnson High School and Butler High School.

The Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce  is injecting themselves even deeper  into the court battle between the US Department of Justice and the Huntsville school system over the system's new student assignment plan. Links inserted for emphasis and clarity:

The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce on Friday wrote to U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, offering a counterargument to several letters written by black politicians, black ministers and black citizens across Huntsville.
The Chamber told the federal judge that black citizens in north Huntsville had not been ignored during zoning deliberations. That assertion contradicts letters to judge that were signed by all black elected officials in Huntsville save one, school board member Laurie McCaulley.

Again, predominately white groups are basically calling black citizens liars, expecting the black community to go along with their desire for unitary status without discussion or input.  

 Suppressing dissent by silencing taxpayers is a nice nasty way of saying you aren't valued as a person, we know what is best for you, and how your tax dollars should be spent.  We will do what we want to do in your community because you need the government to take care of you.

 The Chamber has the same right (pun intended) to write the Judge as any other taxpayer, but I would to like to take this opportunity to correct some factually incorrect assertions (for lack of better words) contained in their letter.

"The Chamber told the federal judge that black citizens in north Huntsville had not been ignored during zoning deliberations."  There is a well documented public record of black citizens being ignored, marginalized, and minimized during the deliberations.

The U.S. Department of Justice says that there was no need for months of secrecy surrounding plans to close Butler High and redraw zone lines across Huntsville. 
In fact, a federal attorney wrote that Washington never gagged the school board nor Superintendent Casey Wardynski, despite the board's recent claims.

 "The Chamber letter argues that busing from Monte Sano to Lee creates logistical difficulties and that removing Hereford would decrease diversity at the new Jemison High."

 Monte Sano is exactly 16 minutes from Huntsville High ,and 16 minutes from Lee High School so what logistical difficulties would be created?  Back in the day students from Monte Sano were zoned for Lee High School.    Hereford Elementary is the former Terry Height's Elementary school and is predominately black.  The new Jemison is predominately black, you do the math then explain how removing Hereford would decrease diversity at the new Jemison High School.

"The NAACP Legal Defense Fund -- a plaintiff in the long-running suit -- split with the Justice Department on this issue and does not oppose Huntsville's plan." 

Enabled by the media,  HCS keeps repeating The NAACP Legal Defense Fund did not oppose the Huntsville City Schools rezoning plan meme, counting on the public to infer the NAACP LDF supports the plan.
What they don't count on is the public having enough sense to read the motion for themselves.  The special counsel for the plaintiffs (Norman J. Chachkin) is not opposed to the new school construction plan because of penalties the BOE would incur if they don't start construction of the new Grissom and the new Johnson High Schools by a certain date due to Arbitrage (Page 6-7 and footnotes page 6). The Plaintiffs attorney reserved the right to oppose the rezoning plan and further litigate whatever issues he deems are in the best interest of the class.
 In other words, the LDF has not dismissed this lawsuit.
The motion filed by HCS BOE request the courts approval, and DOJ agreement, to build a new Johnson High School and a new Grissom High School (footnotes page 4). The court did not approve, and the DOJ did not agree to closing Johnson, renaming Johnson, or closing and combining Butler High School with Johnson High School. The closing of Butler is part of the rezoning plan which the LDF reserved the right to oppose.

" They write to the judge no one was excluded from planning, noting Huntsville held a meeting at each high school before filing for approval of the zoning plan. The meetings, taking place in the course of a week, were not designed to incorporate public input, but to allow citizens to ask questions and finally see the maps." The community meetings were held after the fact.

Dr. Wardynski and every one of the current board members are, evidently, terrified of actually answering questions from the public.
At the “Community Conversations” scheduled to supposedly allow the community to converse with the superintendent and the board of education about their “plan” for redistricting Huntsville, the community is, once again, not allowed to ask questions about the plan.

"All were given equal access to our school leaders," reads the Chamber letter.

So, on January 16th, at a meeting to discuss changes in the school zone lines, Wardynski spent half of his time talking about his accomplishments before even beginning the rezoning discussion.
After he wrapped up patting himself on the back, he then presented the district’s zoning plan. (You’ll have to scroll down to page 30 to see the new plans.)
Following his presentation of the rezoning plan (which does contain changes to the Grissom zoning, despite Wardynski’s assurance on January 14, 2013 that he was not rezoning Grissom), he left a total of 12 minutes for the “public” to ask questions at the meeting.
Mr. Blair, because he is terrified of facing the voters, decided that those twelve minutes should be reserved for the public officials present at the meeting. And so the Mayor, Councilman Russell (who both expressed “full faith and confidence” in both Wardynski and the Board) spoke first. Councilman Showers spoke third and made Wardynski quite nervous as witnessed by his rapid foot tapping.

" Perhaps the strongest portion of the Chamber letter is a bullet point list of recent school programs, including: breakfasts for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches; increase pre-kindergarten for low-income families; centralized teacher assignment to racially balance faculties; laptops for every student in third grade or higher; extended school year for Title I schools."

The summer feeding program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.  The extended school year for Title 1 schools is a federally funded program.  Centralized teacher assignment to racially balance faculties equals Teach for America teachers for north Huntsville schools, and certified teachers for south Huntsville Schools.  The laptops  for every student was also done without parental input or consideration.

"Unlike black citizens in north Huntsville, the Chamber members largely are not members of the aggrieved party in the 51-year-old lawsuit. It is unclear if the letter will be added to the court record.
As for approval of the city's zoning plan, the next round of legal briefs are due by May 16."

“The United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and slavery and segregation, that’s still there, the vestiges of discrimination…” President Obama  addressing the Donald Sterling issue while attending a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I wish the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Education would initiate a public relations campaign to unite our city with the same gusto they are carrying out in favor of keeping the schools segregated.  Imagine the possibilities if every child, regardless of their race or address had equal access to a quality education?  Huntsville could be the shining example for education reform not just in our state, but our country.

Education is the hope of the republic