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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1984)
Thursday, June 7, 1984/The Battalion/Page 3 The state E[ Paso school district under fire Lawmaker fights election plan 4LD /files Syndicatt ood these dai seems to be' t se of Represfi onservatives*! ing liberal De While the H« Hives appearet vitriol against: emanded thait the C-Spand its beingattad O’Neill, t the Republic; Rs to an eti| the consenaii new way of| < it to their 111 in show bum scriptwriten e during a “stt essman, theb eple for hissu s in elemenii United Press International EL PASO — A Texas lawmaker is furious about the single-member election plan a school district sent to thejustice Department because it re tains incumbent school board mem bers. State Rep. Paul Moreno said Wednesday he would never approve of the plan submitted by the El Paso Independent School District. Moreno is one of the plaintiffs in landguns?" does the p ands for is er me to deb irn legislative / cameras art: has ordered louse while problem. Fu :te night cleaii d the whole ratriotism. I ter as you acci n the book." n be Steeple: is Steeple. Bui tile you’respe ssume he is. like exceptfi finished ie cleaning n’t Steeple, a congressui d bowed and audience will teeplewastm a great like an t for the , out what« ie if tip los 6 down’for® attacks on ni f ;n we’ve { the suit which successively sought an end to at-large school district elec tions. The plaintiffs contend the at- large districts discriminate against Hispanics and perpetuate school board members in office. The suit alleged single-member districts were unconstitutional be cause they prevent election of Mexi- can-American candidates to the board of trustees. U.S. District Judge Harry Lee Hudspeth, after a week-long, non jury trial, ruled that although the district’s election system did not vio late the Constitution, it did violate a 1982 amendment to the Voting Rights Act. Hudspeth ordered all school elec tions cancelled and a new plan devel oped, calling for seven single-mem ber districts. The school district’s proposed plan calls for seven single-member districts but includes the controver sial provision to keep the incumbent trustees in office until their terms expire. It calls for staggered terms. Moreno said under the present system, four trustees represent the affluent West side of El Paso, which he called unfair. “None of these peo ple represent the Hispanics,” he said. Legislators argue over teacher scholarships United Press International AUSTIN — Witnesses told a House committee Wednesday the state should offer lucrative schol arships to encourage students to be come teachers, but one legislator ob jected such financial encouragement amounted to “buying teachers with mercenary incentives.” The House Public Education Committee held its first hearing of the special legislative session to col lect testimony on teacher training and certification. The hearings were expected to continue through the end of next week, and no education reform bill was anticipated to be approved by the committee and passed on to the House before June 18. A bill by Rep. Bill Hammond, R- Dallas, would provide $10 million a year in state-financed scholarships for bright students who agreed to teach for four years following grad uation. One committee member, how ever, said the money would be better spent on raising teacher salaries. “I’m afraid with those schol arships we would be buying teachers with mercenary incentives,” said Rep. Noel Grisham, D-Round Rock. “I think all the incentive that would be needed (to attract more people into teaching) is a good, respectable, professional salary.” June Karp of the AFL-CIO-affil- iated Texas Federation of Teachers said colleges of education should emphasize more “how to teach” courses and fewer theory courses a well as intensifying in-class practice teaching.” Texas PTA House looks at tax options opposes proposals United Press International AUSTIN — The statewide par ent-teacher organization Wednesday went on record against proposals for an appointed state school board, an extended school year and a longer school day. The Texas PTA said a poll of 2,000 PTA members across the state showed an almost three-to-one op- while Coraf position to replacing the 27-member elected Stale Board of Education with a smaller panel appointed by the governor. "While some of our members questioned the size of the State Board of Education membership, they were not willing to give up their right to elect their representative,” Laura Tynes of Waco, president of the Texas PTA, said at a Capitol news conference. PTA members also were over whelmingly against lengthening the school day and school year. United Press International AUSTIN — Seeking to avoid a sales tax hike, a House committee Wednesday explored the option of lifting a variety of sales tax exemp tions that Comptroller Bob Bullock says is costing Texas more than $7 billion a year in lost revenues. Gov. Mark White has proposed raising the state’s 4-cent sales tax by 1-cent to help finance his education reform plan during the special legis lative session. But Rep. Stan Schlueter, D-Kill- een, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Leg islature should consider canceling some sales tax exemptions rather than raising the tax. Because of the numerous exemp tions added since the 1961 tax was first imposed, Schlueter said Texas sales tax has become one of the na tion’s most restricted sales taxes. Schlueter declined to be specific about which exemptions he favored canceling, but he noted that 7 exas now exempts all services, such as laundry and dry cleaning, barber and beauty services, amusements, management consulting, data proc essing, legal services and auto repair. “If it’s something you just can’t live with (lifting a sales tax exemp tion), just explain to us where we can get the money for quality educa- “If it’s something you just can’t live with (lifting a sales lax exemption), just explain to us where we can get the money for quality education. ” lion,” Schlueter told representatives of industries that might be affected. Prior to Schlueter’s committee meeting, Bullock released a study showing Texas exempts from the sales tax about twice as much as it is collecting, which is about $4 billion a year. The major exemptions are on groceries, agricultural machinery and supplies, residential gas and electricity and some industrial gas and electricity sales. “When you look at exemptions, you’ve got to ask yourself why some things are taxed and some things are not,” said Bullock. “For instance, we don’t tax necessities like groceries or precription medicines so that we won’t put too much of our state tax load on the poor people who are the least able to pay.” Industry groups who stand to lose millions of dollars if their exemp tions are lifted lined up to tell the committee why their exemptions should be retained. Gulf Oil Corp. spokesman Bill Miller said talk of removing exemp tions on industrial gas and electricity resales “makes us nervous.” “The Texas economy cannot tol erate an additional selective tax on our industry,” he said. Dr. Gary Williamson, vice presi dent of the Texas Medical Associa tion, said the sales tax should not be extended to include physicians’ serv ices and prescription drugs. Around town Softball registration begins today Bryan Recreation Division will hold registration for the Recre ation Softball Leagues on June 6 through 13. The cost is $200. For more information call the Bryan Recreation Division. Summer grads can order announcements Seniors planning to graduate in August can order graduation announcements in room 217 MSG from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Deadline for placing orders is June 13. Defensive driving course offered The Brazos Valley Safety Agency will conduct a defensive driv ing course Friday and Saturday at the Ramada Inn. Registration be gins at 5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn or students can pre-register by call ing 693-8178. Cost for the course is $20. Driver safety course begins Friday The TAMU After Hours Program will sponsor a Driver Safety Course on Friday and Saturday. This course may be used to have certain traffic violations dismissed and to receive a 10 percent dis count on automobile insurance. Registration is held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in room 216 MSG. For more informa tion, call 845-9352. Registration for MSC Craft Workshops Registration for the MSC Craft Center’s Summer Workshops begins Monday. Anyone over 18 may enroll in the workshops. Classes will introduce you to new crafts of reaquaint you with forgot ten skills. Call 845-1631 for more information. Seminar on single living offered Single adults are invited to attend a seminar on successful single living sponsored by First Presbyterian Church of Bryan, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Call 779-7166 for more information. Classes for childbirth preparation B.A.B.E., the Bryan-College Station Association for Birth Educa tion, announces the addition of Saturday classes for childbirth pre- partation.B.A.B.E. classes are designed to help expectant couples make their child’s birth a “special delivery.” For more information on the schedule of classes, or to enroll, please contact: Rita Jo Crox- dale at 779-3761. SELECTED SPORTSWEAR, COORDINATES. DRESSES 25%-40% off PECK & PECK Post Oak Mall College Station LayaWdy Available Visa a Master Card 764-0080