A unitary school system is

one in which the segregative practices of the former dual system are no

longer evident and no longer affect current operations.

"We are pleased that this

case has been resolved without the need for the upcoming court hearing,"

said board president Katie Reeves. "Our ability to reach an agreement

reflects that we truly do operate a unitary school system where improving

achievement for all students is our top priority."

If approved by the court, the

settlement would bring an end to the school desegregation order that has

been in place in the Fulton County School System since 1970. The desegregation

order was one of many federal court orders issued in the aftermath of

the United States Supreme Court's 1954 landmark decision in Brown v. Board

of Education, which required the desegregation of public schools throughout

the nation.

Terms of the proposed settlement

include phasing out the district's majority-to-minority (M-to-M) program

over the next nine years, with the end coming at the close of the 2011-12

school year. The program allows students to transfer, with free transportation

provided, from a school in which their race is in the majority to a school

in which their race is in the minority.

In Fulton County and elsewhere,

M-to-M programs have been used primarily by black students attending predominantly

black schools to transfer to predominantly white schools.

M-to-M enrollment for the 2003-04

school year already has begun, and the proposed agreement calls for one

additional year (2004-05) in which students not currently enrolled in

the M-to-M program can enroll. As of the 2005-06 school year, new students

would not have the right to enroll in the program.

The tentative agreement also

calls for a task force to study race-neutral alternatives to the M-to-M

program.

Other terms of the proposed

settlement call for the district to analyze enrollment and other data

relating to advanced placement and foreign language courses for the next

three years and to take steps aimed at increasing enrollment in these

courses in south Fulton schools. Student discipline practices and data

also would be examined.

The tentative agreement calls

for the school system to be declared unitary immediately upon the federal

court approval of the settlement. Attorneys for the parties expect to

seek preliminary approval of the settlement within the coming weeks.

A fairness hearing will be

scheduled for a later date, possibly in May. Members of the public will

have the opportunity to comment on the proposed settlement.