Thursday, June 7, 1984/The Battalion/Page 3
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E[ Paso school district under fire
Lawmaker fights election plan
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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.
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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,
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25%-40% off
PECK & PECK
Post Oak Mall
College Station
LayaWdy Available
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764-0080