Richmond County school board members informally agreed Saturday to address the system's longstanding federal desegregation order.

During a board retreat, President Jimmy Atkins asked attorney Pete Fletcher to solicit the costs of an audit of the system's progress in desegregating its schools.

The request followed a frank and sometimes contentious discussion among board members.

Since 1964, the Richmond County school system has operated under a federal court order.

Prompted by civil rights violations of the past, the orders placed on many Southern governmental bodies restrict actions by requiring pre-approval from the U.S. Justice Department and often included federal monitoring.

Mr. Fletcher said Saturday that he and Ben Allen, the attorney for the plaintiffs whose lawsuit led to the desegregation order, agree that most of the requirements have been met to reach "unitary status," a term used when schools are no longer considered a "black" school or a "white" school.

Board member Marion Barnes said many local schools still carry such descriptions, even among board members.

"We're sitting right here as a board and using the term a 'white' school and a 'black' school," he said.

That perception persists in the community also, board member Venus Cain said.

The issue hinges on trust, Mr. Barnes said, pointing out that injustices of the past remain fresh in the minds of many residents.

Mr. Fletcher said an area that remains to be corrected is the racial makeup of classified employees -- those not required to have a teaching certificate. The staff at each school must reflect the available work force, he said.

In Richmond County, white principals tend to have staffs that are predominantly white, and black principals tend to have staffs that are predominantly black, Missoura Ash, the executive director for elementary schools, told board members.

The central office is no better. Administrators often have secretaries of the same race.

Superintendent Dana Bedden said that as an outsider to the community, he has also heard trust issues raised among residents. There is concern the school board is trying to "get from under" the court order without trying to improve the conditions of the school system, he said.

Mr. Fletcher cautioned that nothing would happen quickly. He said the issue of resolving the desegregation order is more complicated than going to federal court and saying both sides agree the issues have been resolved.

A new class of plaintiffs will need to be established, and evidence must be presented to prove the system has met its obligations to desegregate, he said.

Mr. Barnes said he supports having an audit conducted with the stipulation that the board follow through on correcting any problems found.

Improving academics should take care of many of the problems, board member Frank Dolan said.

"If we get the grades up, a lot of this black and white crap will go away," he said.