New school desegregation plan released

Hartford (AP) - A new five-year plan to desegregate Hartford-area schools calls for the state to spend $49 million in the first two years, including increasing payments to suburbs to entice them to accept more Hartford students.

The Connecticut Department of Education released the new plan Tuesday. It's the latest development in the Sheff vs. O'Neill legal case, which began with a lawsuit in 1989 and led to a 1996 state Supreme Court ruling that segregration in Hartford's schools violates the state constitution.

The new plan outlines how officials will meet the goal of satisfying 80 percent of Hartford students who seek a spot in a racially diverse school by the 2013-2014 year. Plans call for increasing per-student payments to suburbs that accept Hartford students.

Funding for the plan must be approved by state lawmakers.

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Information from: The Hartford Courant