Low-Income Communities and Rezoning of Tuscaloosa City Schools
When those who have experienced rezoning school lines were asked how it impacted their communities, parents from disadvantaged backgrounds describe the emptiness that closing schools left. Most often you hear a description of how neighborhood schools served as recreational as well as meeting facilities with various programs that benefited the entire community
White middle-class parents, who are open to predominantly black schools with at least 35 percent white middle-class population, expressed concern that the closures would negatively impact their neighborhood's ability to attract other middle-class families with young school age children. After the schools were closed, many of these same parents enrolled their children in private and/or charter schools.
Redistricting discouraged pro-public school gentry parent from actually investing their time and resources into district schools because there was a feeling that their diverse neighborhoods would always receive the "short end of the stick".