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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1987)
Wednesday, November 4,1987/The Battalion/Page 3 J State and Local >r Texans favor election -■rt for board of education ie sameta| AUSTIN (AP) — Early election nts as dotilreturns Tuesday showed Texans fa- ht us JaiDM voting a return to an elected State et the reatPoard of Education to replace the the Senatl a PP 0 ^ ntec ^ P ane ^ t ^ iat ^ as been used d to BorkT* 11 l ^ e P ast ' ,, i ■ With 5 percent of the precincts re- -i all, tk 30rt i n g ) 17,556, or 52 percent, had tee has gai votec i f or an elected board, while signature! 16,362, or 48 percent, favored lection. Ed Continuing to have the governor ap- m, says ot wint the 15-member panel. IS one mat Billionaire businessman H. Ross mchashon ’erot, who shepherded the 1984 re- orms through the Legislature, was , , :hief cheerleader for the appointed i share tht ^ ;nt for eit Perot, a fervent supporter for off-the-cufl House Bill 72, which led to drastic arty official reforms in the Texas educational nent as “Ed system, felt the board would be ex- exual asrita reme ly beneficial. He said return- d that tht t0 an e ^ ectec ^ hoard would undo Club was ible to jolt i n in elite, tht he good done by House Bill 72, the landmark public school reform bill. Characteristically, Perot was sharp his criticism. “They really believed the world was flat,” he said of the old rnnient of- elected board. t disclose a ’s talking to i, and even g impeach oned him One popu- a governor hain.’’) Bui isultingthe al way. - was think- ie. nalism ma or for The Perot said many Texans knew nothing about the people they elected to the State Board of Educa tion. “So you wind up with the Flat Earth Society, the pet rock crowd, so on and so forth,” he said. Gov. Bill Clements, Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and House Speaker Gib Le wis also favored continuing the ap pointed board. Education groups and some law makers lined up in support of the elected board. Rep. Bill Haley, D-Center and co sponsor of HB72, said the reform bill set up the appointed board as a temporary measure and that the time had come to revert to the elected panel. Sandy Kibby, legislative action chairman for the Texas PTA, said, “We want a State Board of Educa tion that is accountable to the voters and not just to a small group of indi viduals who are responsible for their appointments.” The old elected board included one member from each of the state’s congressional districts. The appointed board, selected by the governor from nominees for warded by legislative leaders, in cludes 15 members from districts set up especially for the board. The board had been elected since 1949, the last time Texas lawmakers approved sweeping changes in pub lic education. However, many law makers feel that a quality board can not be representative of what the taxpayers of Texas want. An elected board, most lawmakers feel, would provide Texans with a closer link to what was happening in Texas educa tion. The appointed board left the decision of a basically taxpayer issue to everyone but the taxpayers, law makers say. According to a newspaper poll published last week, 61 percent of the voters questioned said they would vote for a return to an elected board. Perot, who spent weeks and thou sands of dollars on the campaign, said that was because many Texans did not understand the importance of keeping the appointed board. Perot’s ads, featuring well-known Texans including former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan, stressed a vote for “quality education.” Perot foes said the ads were misleading because they did not explain that the choice was between an appointed or elected board. Texans vote on two referendums, long list of amendment proposals AUSTIN (AP) — Texans voted Tuesday on the longest list of proposed amendments to the 1876 state Constitution ever pre sented on a single ballot, plus two referendums that would create new laws. One referendum would decide whether Texas joins 40 other states in legalizing pari-mutuel betting on horses and dogs. The other would determine whether the State Board of Education would be elected or appointed. Their inclusion on the ballot is considered unusual, if not un precedented. Major proposed amendments include a “Build Texas” effort to stimulate the Texas economy by authorizing nearly $2 billion in bonds for public works-type pro jects, state assistance for busi nesses and help making the state a more attractive site for the su perconducting “super collider.” The $4.4 billion “super col lider,” a 52-mile-long under ground atom-smasher, would be used in high-energy physics re search. Twenty-five states are competing for the federal pro ject. Lawmakers already have au thorized $500 million in revenue bonds, which are not subject to voter approval, for the project. There are seven other pro posed amendments in the pack age, which Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby said “should get our economic en gine back to full speed.” The proposals would allow bonds to be issued to finance turnpikes, toll roads and toll bridges, local public facilities, prisons and mental health and mental retardation facilities. The proposals also would pro vide state financing for Texas products and businesses and would authorize state water de velopment bonds. Secretary of State Jack Rains had predicted 14 percent of the registered voters would go to the polls, but Rains spokesman Jim Warren said early reports across the state showed turnout running somewhat higher than expected. “Record numbers of people are going to the polls for this kind of election,” Warren said. In the San Antonio area, voter turnout was running about 20 percent, Bexar County Election Administrator Tony Gomez said. Waits of up to 1V2 hours were re ported in lines at some polling places. Warren said Dallas and Ellis counties and the cities of Midlo thian and Midland reported that they ran out of ballots. People had to wait 15 to 30 minutes be cause they were using paper bal lots, photocopying ballots or get ting computer punch cards from nearby precincts. Pari-mutuel betting, in which winning bettors are paid in pro portion to the amounts wagered in a given race, was legal in Texas in 1905-09 and 1933-37. Numer ous attempts over the past half- century to revive the sport failed. As a condition for putting the question on the ballot, then-Gov. Mark White in 1986 insisted race track betting ultimately be de cided on a local county option ba sis, so 57 counties also voted on the issue Tuesday. Supporters of an appointed board of education include many of the people who pushed educa tional reform through the Legis lature in 1984. Texas had an ap- E ointed board for about 20 years, eginning in 1930, then it became an elective body until the recent legislation was enacted. Experts say toxic spill should have no long-term effects TEXAS CITY (AP) — An acid spill that forced evacuation of 3,000 people and sent more than 500 to hospitals last weekend should cause no long-term damage, envi ronment and agriculture experts said Tues day. “In the research I’ve done on animals and my understanding of the effects on people and the effects that have been ob served here, the action is swift, the recovery is fairly prompt and there should be no ef- beyond a few days and perhaps a plaining said Francis Weir, director of the ficulties. Department of Environmental Safety at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. "There is every reason to consider full and complete recovery except under the most extraordinary circumstances, and as I understand it, none of those occurred here,” he said. A 30-block area of Texas City was evac uated Friday night after a crane accident at the Marathon Petroleum Co. broke a pipe line, triggering a leak of hydrofluoric acid, a toxic and corrosive chemical used in the manufacture of hydrocarbons. Many of the residents sought treatment after com- of burning eyes and breathing dif- iculties. This is very directly a chemical burn and not much more than that,” Weir said. “If it were a liquid spilling on the skin or touch ing on the body, it could have the capacity to burn very deeply and liquid hydrofluoric acid has the capacity to burn right down to the bone.” The evacuees were allowed to return to their homes on Sunday and no deaths were caused because of the chemical accident. “The material in question is probably one of the more reactive materials we have in industrial chemistry,” Weir said. Shade trees, shrubs and vegetables grown in the area of the spill bear the scars of the acid, with leaves turning brown or falling off. “Most of it is absorbed at the point of contact,” George Meador of the Texas Ag riculture Extension Service said. “The good thing is that none of it is translocated back to the root systems. Consequently, in most instances, you are not going to get a large amount of kill.” However, he urged residents who have vegetable gardens or fruit trees exposed to the chemical not to eat the products. “It’s not that they are toxic,” he said. “We don’t know that. There’s been no scientific evidence to prove that. But we’re saying: why take the chance? We’re not suggesting there might be toxic materials there.” He also said livestock that might be graz ing in pastures exposed to the spill should be moved to another area. “We expect at this point that most of the damage to the vegetation will not be perma nent,” Meador said. “But characteristically this does not occur when plant leaves are in contact with fluoride.” Both scientists said their conclusions were based on controlled experiments and they knew of no other similar accident in the United States. Weir, who said he had seen none of the victims except for television reports, said he expected no further illnesses. “My understanding is there is no person here who should not recover,” he said. Meador’s advice to gardeners with vege tables still outside was to plow them under. For homeowners who may be worried about shade trees showing signs of stress, he said, “Water and water it well and let’s hope it lives.” MSC Political Forum Women in Politics any ut our ident nting s why leaders auntry staff fort to e the thej ims his (STMT . ercHiHO' The Evolution of Their Clout Featured Speakers: Ms. Ann Lewis Mr. Andrew Mollison Ms. Kandy Rose Ms. Harriet Andreadis Former Political Director of the Democratic National Committee President of the National Press Club President of the Brazos County League of Women Voters Assoc. Professor of English Head ofWomen Studies November 4, 1987 Room 201 MSC 6:00p.m. Admission is Free Make a splash. The MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society presents 'Singin' in the Rain” at 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, Movember 17 in Rudder Auditorium. Based on the MOM film classic, this delightful Broadway musical features dazzling sets, gorgeous costumes, intricate dance steps and yes, a genuine rain storm on stage. Spirited songs like "You Are My Lucky Star”, "You Were Meant Por Me", "Good Mornin", and, of course, "Singin' In The Rain" are sure to make you smile. There are still a few seats available for this splashy musical. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis. MSC Box Office • 845-1234 • Dillards Ticketron Visa and MasterCard accepted. MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society 1.1I SUiOfiit t filter • Icx.is ■\«'1 l imcrsiH • ftox I I • Uillrm'‘M.itiim !\77H4Vm>MI