he Battalion ATE & LOCAL 3 Thursday, June 22,1989 ve ion III MUM 11| lilimii Mill ■IHMIIIHH I'WWIIMIIIIill—WII poor school districts hope to gain equitable funding through courts iy IS Ued Columnist AUSTIN (AP) — Supporters of a lawsuit which says the state’s method M public education funding is un- onstitutional because it discrimi- lates against poor schools praised he Texas Supreme Court’s decision Vednesday to consider the case. irida. The ope iami left vacai oved old radii: l us of an intens .cc At water, di _‘r, said earlier belongs toaC. en. Jack Gi Pepper seat,an id he’d haven ■mocratic noit thdrew from I lied by theiijj d ready sunk to. The high civil appeals court said it Ivill hear oral arguments in the five- Trear-old lawsuit on July 5. I Richard Kirkpatrick of Copperas Cove, chairman of a group of 55 school districts who intervened in the lawsuit, said, “I’m elated. We’re optimistic that the Texas courts will do what’s right for Texas children.” The court’s decision drew a guarded reaction from House edu cation leaders. “I would certainly hope the court would not involve itself in the direct operation of the schools,” said House Education Committee Chair woman Ernestine Glossbrenner. But Glossbrenner, D-Alice, and a former schoolteacher, said, “I’m ter rified,” of that occurring. Poor school districts say they can not raise enough local property tax revenues to enrich education fund ing to the same extent that wealthy districts can. School financing in Texas is funded through a mixture . Gramm asks Senate to restrict asylum application procedure io political virp ley in private! ; or jolitics, but h )r 25 years. II ft beanbag, an .‘en in dirty an nisty campaign ■ordon also sat: with mediacoi with image-mil the time yougi on are notin hi’re presenl d of images lb ^ the attention commercials." and antaj il with right* lamatory, oats statement. 1 WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. I’hil Gramm asked the Senate Immi- ration subcommittee Wednesday to ack legislation that would require Central American refugees to apply asylum before they reach the S. border. “Our policy encourages people to tell everything they own, head out in the highway, where they’re likely :o be murdered and robbed, and 90 :o 95 percent are denied asylum ivhen they arrive in the United ptates,” Gramm said. “I don’t see that as being humani- :arian,” he told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on immigration and refugee policy. Gramm has introduced legislation at would require Central and South American refugees to apply "or asylum at a U.S. consulate or em- = « .a 3ass y * n a country with which the iter s tactics: 1 United States has diplomatic rela- inflameadl ions, and which the refugee must lass through to reach the U.S. hol ier. The Texas Republican said refu- 'tes from Poland or the Soviet • l ■ ^ n ' on see k asylum at a safe harbor not a Jewishst! jgg Rome, and those granted refu- in the district ;ee status are then given visas to en- erthe United States. “It works everywhere in the world xcept in the Americas,” Gramm 5ut Atwater« 't want to getis impaign. 1 dci for il, ancf/c^ with the coit < would be dis unity. We d« .ving matches ,’s what’s happt mpaign would f the district,! mtry who wi litical proceui he level obi® >1 be what a De — a discussion 1 to achieve soo Goethe, who S3 ar your bestir® o fight forjust lid he’d need® ey use in nuck ivity for thiscii ed Gordon ah his most prok when he« st because of I rt and ga campaign proj ie told him iff fight back. No g it just meansf t will only end] know who’s rt! said. “The situation is different be cause the geography is different.” Gramm said the costs of handling the crush of Central American refu gees passing through South Texas earlier this year have severely stretched the Justice Department’s budget. Cutbacks in Border Patrol operat ing expenses have been as great as 50 percent in some locations “be cause we’re spending money on this problem,” Gramm said. “This is not in personnel or pen sions, but in operating costs,” Gramm said after the hearing. He said the cutbacks have the po tential “of affecting our ability to keep drugs out of the country, to protect the integrity of our border.” “People want to come to America to have economic freedom and polit ical freedom and that’s unlikely to change,” Gramm said. “Our system is not working because of geog raphy.” Wade J. Henderson, associate di rector of the Washington national office of the American Civil Liber ties Union, said Gramm’s bill would reduce the ability of undocumented Salvadorans and Nicaraguans to ap ply for asylum in the United States. “Henceforth, they would have but one interview with an INS (Immi gration and Naturalization Service) employee,” Henderson said. “The alien would have to prove that he or She had a ‘well-founded fear of per secution’ or face immediate deporta tion.” of state and local funds. In 1987, the poor school districts won a round in the battle when a state district judge held the state’s funding system as unconstitutional, saying it denied equal access to edu cation funds, which he termed a fun damental right. But on Dec. 14, 1988, the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin reversed that ruling. The poor school districts then appealed to the state Supreme Court. Since then, Gov. Bill Clements signed into law a $450 million school finance bill for the 1990-91 budget period designed to help close the gap between poor and wealthy schools. Sid Pruitt, president of the Equity Center, which was formed to rep resent students in property-poor dis tricts said that amount is inadequate. Pruitt, who also is superintendent of the Alvarado school district near Fort Worth, said his district is having to raise the property tax rate by 20 cents in order to meet state-required education mandates. “That ought to tell the story enough,” Pruitt said. Bayoud confirmed by Senate as Texas secretary of state AUSTIN (AP) — George Bayoud Jr., a longtime associate of Gov. Bill Clements, was confirmed by the Sen ate as the 96th secretary of state. The Senate approved Bayoud without dissent Wednesday. “The Senate’s confidence is greatly appreciated and I pledge to do my utmost to live up to their ex pectations and the governor’s,” said Bayoud, 34. He succeeds Jack Rains, who had held the position since January, 1987. Rains, who is considering run ning for the Republican guberna torial nomination, resigned Friday. Bayoud, of Dallas, served as Clements’ chief of staff before the governor appointed him secretary of state. He had been an executive in a development and investment firm in Dallas prior to heading up Clements’ 1986 election campaign. The secretary of state is Texas’ chief election officer and the gover nor’s top appointment. The office also is responsible for all corporate, business and debt filings in the state. “The responsibilities of this office are great, but with the support of my many good friends I am confident that I can carry out my duties in the best interest of the state.” Bayoud said. Brooks says Wright should forget race for seat in Congress WASHINGTON (AP) — The dean of the Texas congressional delegation said Wednesday for mer House Speaker Jim Wright should forget about seeking polit ical vindication by running again for his Fort Worth seat. Rep. Jack Brooks, who led Wright’s defense during an ethics investigation that led to the Dem ocrat’s fall from power, said Wright should not attempt to re capture his 12th District seat in a special election later this year. Instead, Wright should return to Fort Worth, where he could “give a couple of speeches, serve on a couple of boards, write a couple of books, make a lot of money. It’d be a good life,” Brooks said after a luncheon of Texas Democrats, where behind closed doors they discussed strat egy and fund-raising for the race to fill Wright’s seat. Rep. Michael Andrews of Houston said his fellow Texas Democrats agree with Brooks, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, that Wright should not run. “I would be startled if Jim Wright ran for Congress,” An drews said. “I am confident he will retire from the House.” Other Democrats suggested Wright was enjoying the attention of constituents who are urging him to seek the seat he has held for three decades. On Tuesday, Wright suggested he might attempt a corheback, saying he would consider run ning if there were “an absolutely genuine draft of a bipartisan na ture.” “It’s got to feel good to be stroked by the people who have sent him here for 34 years, after the tremendous beating he has taken up here,” said Rep. Jim Chapman, a Sulphur Springs Democrat. Chapman suggested the atten tion of his constituents “has got to be a tremendous boost to his ego. It’s probably something he needs to hear.” Brooks, a Beaumont Demo crat, said he talked to Wright on Wednesday morning and that the former speaker must enjoy hear ing that people back home “would re-elect him tomorrow. “It’d make anybody feel bet ter,” he said. “But personally, I think he won’t run.” Said Chapman: “The general feeling of the Texas delegation is that Jim Wright is about to retire from Congress. Jim Wright is not going to run in an election for a job he already has.” Gov. Bill Clements will set a date for the special elec tion. Texas Democrats were plan ning strategy for that race at their weekly luncheon Wednesday, meeting with Rep. Beryl Anthony Jr., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Com mittee, to discuss fund-raising for the party’s candidate. Chapman said Pete Geren, a Fort Worth attorney and former aide to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D- Texas, would be the party’s strongest candidate, “our most at tractive candidate.” When he announced he was stepping down as speaker, Wright said he would leave the House by the end of J une. Other Texans said Wright had not consulted with them about a possible change in plans. “We don’t know what he’s going to do,” said Rep. Mickey Leland, who has described him self as one of Wright’s closest al lies. “We don’t know what Jim is thinking.” “I’ve given it no thought,” said Rep. John Bryant, a Dallas Demo crat. “I’ve had no conversation with him.” Attention A&M Students, Faculty & Staff: GET OFF TO A RUNNING START ) this summer with a little help from IBM. Buy one of the machines below BY JUNE 30th and receive $50 off a pair of Nikes at Oshman's!* DELIVERY ON THE DOUBLE! IBM and the Texas A&M Micro Computer Center are delivery (while supplies last) of 3 IBM PS/2 configi BUNDLE #1: PS/2 Model 30 286. 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IBM may withdraw the promotion at any time without notice. vred by the Texas A&M Microcomputer Center MicroComputerCenter Computer Soles and Supplies Mon.-Fri. 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Memorial Student Center *THE FINE PRINT: Immediate delivery while supplies last. $50 Gift Certificate offer is available while supplies last and is not available for University purchases. These prices are available to eligible students, faculty, staff and Departments at Texas A&M University. IBM Personal System/2 and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. IBM Micro Channel Architecture is a trademark of IBM Corporation Microsoft is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. hDC Windows Express is a trademark of the hDC Computer Corporation. A & At Little Caesars® when . you order one delicious pizza, we automatically bring you two, for one low price. And we bring them fast. That’s delivery on the double. 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