Larry Summers Raises Concerns As NYC Settles $1.8B Teacher Exam Bias Lawsuit: 'Hard For Me To See Major Civil Rights Issue'

The City of New York has reportedly opted to settle a three-decade-long litigation brought against it for bias in a certification exam meant for New York State teachers. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers commented on the development.

What Happened: The settlement agreement involved a payment of $1.8 billion to Black and Hispanic teachers who failed the teacher’s licensing test, as reported by the New York Post. The court ruled that the exam violated civil rights law, disproportionately favoring white candidates.

Summers’ Take: Summers said he hopes that the $1.8 billion outlay is “carefully investigated.”

“As long as the same test was used for all teacher applicants, it’s hard for me to see a major civil rights issue here,” the economist said.

While conceding that there could be another side to the story, the former Treasury official said that the $1.8 billion could have bought 100 million much-needed new textbooks.

Why It Matters: Summers has been actively discussing college admissions in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action. As recently as last weekend, in a Bloomberg interview, he outlined a four-point strategy that can bring about equity in college admissions.

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