New Haven schools could be fined for lack of diversity

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — New Haven inter-district magnet schools need more white, Asian and suburban students to qualify for state grants. However, three schools are not meeting the current requirements and could face financial consequences.

Current state guidelines say that as part of a “residency standard,” inter-district magnet schools must not have more than 75% of their students coming from one region. In this case, only three-quarters of a school’s student population can be from New Haven. Another “reduced isolation” regulation means each school must not have less than 25% white or Asian students.

“The idea is that because urban districts — and New Haven is typical of this — tend to be more heavily populated by students of color, the goal is to reduce their isolation by encouraging participation in school by students from the suburbs who tend to be white or Asian,” said Justin Harmon with New Haven Public Schools.

According to a recent board of education meeting, a handful of schools are below the 25% reduced isolation rate, with Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School at 12%, Hill Regional Career High School at 11.1% and Metropolitan Business Academy at 13.3%. Regarding the residency standard, Hill Regional Career High School (75%.4) and Metropolitan Business Academy (75%) are currently sitting at the threshold.

Mayor Justin Elicker said the city receives millions of dollars from the state for its magnet schools. Non-compliance with the residency standard could make the city ineligible for crucial grants.

According to the state statute, a school “is not eligible to receive the interdistrict magnet operating grant in accordance with 10-264 l unless the school receives a waiver from those standards based on a compliance plan approved by the Commissioner of Education.”

It goes on to say besides ineligibility for an operating grant, there are no other specific penalties.

“We’re managing through it,” Elicker said. “The City of New Haven receives over $30 million for its magnet school program. The reality is because we have such segregated communities in our state…you have a lot of people that are one type, one economic type, one race, they’re going to one school, and a lot of people from a different type going to another school.”

The NAACP said the state should revisit those policies.

“If an area is not interested, I don’t feel we should focus on that,” Greater New Haven NAACP President Dori Dumas said. “We want to remove stigmas, and if people have deep-seated racism or feel like they don’t want their student to come into the inner-city and get valuable opportunities, then I don’t feel they should be punished for that.”

Last week, the board of education voted in favor of applying for a $15 million federal grant for extra financial support.

The policies didn’t apply during the pandemic to give schools financial reprieve.

The Connecticut Department of Education told News 8 in a written statement that non-compliant schools are required to complete a compliance plan.

“Under statute, that would constitute enforcement,” the department said.

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