Social Injustice and Equity in Schools
By Tamara L. Mitchell
Asst. Supt./Business & Financial Services
Joliet Public Elem. SD 86
School business officials are in a unique position within the school community to financially guide district leadership and school boards toward decisions that may lead to greater equity.
The 1954 United States Supreme Court Case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, was pivotal in its ruling that “separate but equal” public education was unconstitutional and was, in fact, not equal. This ruling was a departure from the Court’s ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that allowed for racially segregated public facilities, including public schools.