The Champaign Unit 4 School District will have to come up with a more precise plan of action to deal with discrimination issues by early next year.

Following the Champaign School Unit 4 consent decree hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade ruled that the school board will have to collaborate more closely with the plaintiffs in order to accomplish the requirements of the consent decree by the 2009 deadline.

The school district and the plaintiff argued their cases on the progress that is being made towards more racial equality in Champaign public schools. The school board presented lengthy statistics to support their progress while the plaintiffs claimed that the board’s plans and conclusions were vague and needed specificity.

Both sides said that there has been some progress made up to this point, but the plaintiffs argued that there still needs to be a more proactive approach.

Check Friday’s Daily Illini for the full story