San Francisco NAACP v. San Francisco Unified School District

OPINION AND ORDER

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.

This oft-stated creed of President John F. Kennedy is at the core of the dispute between the parties in these two related desegregation lawsuits, San Francisco NAACP v. San Francisco Unified School District, No. C-78-1445 WHO (“the NAACP action”), and Ho v. San Francisco Unified School District, No. C-94-2418 WHO (“the Ho action”). In an effort to provide equal opportunity for San Francisco’s 65,000 schoolchildren of exceptionally diverse origins, the parties in these two related desegregation cases, have strenuously endeavored to achieve President Kennedy’s goal, albeit from often sharply differing viewpoints. After years of highly contentious litigation, encompassing drastic demographic changes in the San Francisco Unified School District, the parties have agreed to put their differences aside, and have submitted a stipulated settlement for the Court’s approval. For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds that the proposed settlement is a fair, reasonable and adequate resolution of the litigation.

I.

In 1978, the San Francisco National Association…