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Lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Georgia Board of Regents

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A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Georgia Board of Regents, alleging that the state has failed to equitably fund its three public historically Black universities—Albany State, Fort Valley State, and Savannah State. The lawsuit names several defendants, including the state of Georgia, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, the 19 individual members of the Board of Regents, and state school Superintendent Richard Woods.

The lawsuit contends that the Board of Regents diverted resources away from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to strengthen academic programs at majority-white schools. It also alleges that the buildings at the state’s three HBCUs are of inferior quality and that these schools rely on state funding more than non-HBCUs. Additionally, the lawsuit points out that there are no graduates of the three HBCUs serving on the Board of Regents.

SSeveral Black Democratic state lawmakers announced the lawsuit, emphasizing the need for equity and justice in education. The lawsuit’s aim is to address the unequal treatment of these HBCUs in Georgia.

Last month, federal officials notified Georgia and 15 other states that they had underfunded their land-grant HBCUs by over $12 billion in recent decades compared to non-HBCU land-grant institutions. The funding disparity was evaluated based on per-student funding for Fort Valley State, Georgia’s lone historically Black land-grant school, and the University of Georgia, the state’s original land-grant school, which didn’t admit Black students until 1961.

The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, Martrice Herrington, a recent graduate of Fort Valley State, expressed the importance of the lawsuit in improving the future of HBCU students. She highlighted the aging infrastructure and limited resources that these schools face, and the lawsuit represents an effort to rectify these disparities.

The lawsuit’s broader implications aim to address historical inequities in funding and support for HBCUs in Georgia and ensure that every student in the state has an equal opportunity for success.

It’s important to note that the lawsuit is filed on behalf of three Black plaintiffs who are alumni of the three HBCUs and is part of a broader national conversation on addressing disparities and inequities in higher education funding.

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