Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1989)
29, Friday, September 29,1989 The Battalion Page 5 JCourt ponders school finances Lawsuit demands equal educational district funding i I0H{ WUUH: dther' , F ia& nji, IT m. WRS • IN lie, cm HIGHLAND PARK (AP) — High school stu dents here look up facts for their term papers in an electronic encyclopedia. They use computers to search for library books, take their pick of computers in the math lab and produce the stu dent paper with the help of laser printers. Some 12 miles away at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, engineering students crowd around a few computers. They look up books in a card cat alog, a net student journalists pound out their sto ries on typewriters. Such are the differences behind a lawsuit, now pending before the Texas Supreme Court, that challenges the constitutionality of Texas’ school financing. The issue before the court: Does Texas owe its students an equal education, or simply an adequate one? “if we are to he competitive, the state has to do something to make sure that districts have equal and adequate equipment to educate students,” said Wilmer-Hutchins Principal Clyde Stokes. “That doesn’t mean leaving one school with out dated, insufficient equipment while some others have the best of everything. “Our problem is that we’re limited in the amount and the kinds of things we can buy,” Stokes said. “We can’t keep the best teachers because they ro off to the property-rich districts, because they lave the funds to supplement what the state gives,” he said. “Parents try to get their students — the high academic achievers — into other schools . . . with those kinds of facilities.” Stokes said it’s a state responsibility to see that school funding is equitable. Almost halt of Texas schools’ funding comes from local property taxes. In 1986-87, for exam ple, local taxes provided S5.8 billion for public “I If we are to be competitive, the state has to do something to make sure that districts have equal and adequate equipment to educate students.” — Clyde Stokes, high school principal education in Texas, compared to $5.7 billion from state coffers. The federal government con tributed $864 million. The people who live in suburban, blue-collar Wilmer and Hutchins pay twice as much per dol lar of property as residents of Highland Park, an other suburb just north of downtown Dallas that’s home to some of the state’s wealthiest peo ple. Wilmer-Hutchins property owners are taxed $1.31 for every $100 in assessed value; Highland Number of paroled felons increases HE 'Some ■oP im c M AUSTIN (AP) — More than 5,700 inmates convicted of felonies and sentenced to state prison were released directly from county jails during the last fiscal year, a 550 per cent increase over the previous year, officials said. The parole in absentia program -in which eligible prisoners await ing transfer to the Texas Depart ment of Corrections can be paroled directly from county jail — has be come one of the major safety valves to ease overcrowded prisons at both the county and state levels, officials said. But as prison crowding increases, more serious offenders become eli gible for parole without ever going through the so-called “revolving door” of state prisons, of ficials said. “It’s just another example of the general malaise in the system,” said Rider Scott, who serves as Gov. Bill Clements’ general counsel. “The early release has moved from pris ons to (county) jails.” “The reality is that they are going to be released from the penitentiary as soon as they pass through the front gate, so why hold them in the county jails,” he said. Scott said many prisoners are turning down probation in favor of going to prison, knowing they will serve little if any time theke, which is preferable to serving out the restric tions of a long parole. “When the crooks start asking to go to the pen, you know it’s no more than the cost of doing business,” Scott said. tenced to 10 years in the Texas De partment of Corrections serve no longer than four to six months. Urban counties complain that they cannot hold the state’s prison ers anymore. There are from 12,000 to 14,000 inmates in county jails who have been sentenced to the TDC and are awaiting transfer, according to the State Commission on Jail Standards. In fiscal 1989, the 12-month pe riod that ended Aug. 31, the state hree-alarm fire fills Capitol with smoke AUSTIN (AP) — Foul-smelling moke from a three-alarm fire filled he Texas House chamber on —_ Thursday, causing officials to evac- latethe 101-year-old Capitol shortly fter 5 p.m. The fire w'as extinguished within n hour, and no injuries were imme- iiately reported, authorities said. "A lot of smoke was filling up the econd and third floors,” Austin Fire )epartment Lt. Scott Reynolds said. Fire Capt. Jack Floyd said cork in- ulation in an air-handling unit in he basement caught fire about 4:30 p.m. and began pushing smoke through air vents upstairs. "It’s not really going to he a prob lem for us,” Floyd said. “It’s going to ake a little while to get the smoke ut and get all the cork taken care of. Firemen working in the basement onned breathing units. Firelighters outside moved a giant an to windows of the House cham- >er, pumping fresh air into the four- jtory building to help clear it of the poke. A total of 21 units and 53 fire- Bghters were sent to the Capitol af- j ; ter the first call was receivecf at 4:37 . Floyd said. He said the first units reached the historic building "ithin 90 seconds. Officials initially closed the House jhamber to the public as the two- lory-tall room began filling with Inoke. Then the building’s fire arms began sounding about 5:03 :e izeilit itil tilt Jniver tudeni ilh ili< rienfr Kgint ic, llif in ik jiritol :s ad janifl- peni« akik p.m., and shortly after, workers in the building were ordered to evac uate. Fire trucks continued racing to the Capitol until about 5:30 p.m. An early morning fire in February 1983 gutted parts of the Senate side of the Capitol, which is on the oppo site end of the building from the House chamber. Since then, officials have said the building, which has large attics, could have been destroyed by the blaze. Reynolds said the numerous false ceilings and divided rooms made lo cating Thursday’s fire difficult, and he said it was lucky the fire occurred in the daytime. “We were lucky that the fire was detected early, it was during daytime hours and people were in the Capi tol (to report it),” Reynolds said. Officials said they weren’t imme diately certain about the cause of the fire. Jesse Williams of the State Pur chasing and General Services Ad ministration, which maintains the building, said workmen had been welding in the basement earlier in the day. Braniff seeks bankruptcy protection ,v thill Meld | MIAMI (AP) — Drained by losses of more than $1 million a week, Braniff Inc. on Thursday became the first major carrier to seek bankruptcy protection a sec ond time after canceling nearly all its flights and laying off more than half its work force. Some airline experts say a cash shortage and intense competition from larger carriers may keep Braniff from re-enacting its comeback from Chapter 1 1 bank ruptcy protection in 1984 as a smaller company. Branif f left thousands of travelers seeking alternate flights and ticket refunds Thursday as it halted all but four flights linking its Kansas City, Mo. hub with Dallas and Orlando, Fla., its home base. Braniff spokesman Don McGuire in Orlando said the carrier hopes to restore 40 of its 256 normal daily flights by Monday. Meanwhile, plans are under way to cut BranifTs work force from 4,791 to about 2,000. The work force currently includes an estimated 2,000 employees in Kansas City, 1,165 in Orlando and 450 in Dallas. The company plans to dismiss 556 pilots, 656 flight attendants, 163 mechanics, 1,167 station personnel and agents, 22 dispatchers and 200 salaried personnel. Braniff sought protection from creditors to allow it to reorganize under Chapter 1 1 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code at about 2 a.m. EDT in Orlando, where the car rier relocated its headquarters from Dallas in May. Bra niff, sold last year to a group of investors led by Paine- Webber Inc., lost $31.8 million on revenue of $293 million in the first six months of the year. The financial problems were caused by Braniffs re location to Orlando and its $2 billion order for 50 Air bus A320 aircraft, said William McGee, president and chief executive officer of Braniff. Spokesman McGuire said the company recently was unable to complete a $75 million financing deal. McGee said Braniff will not cancel its Airbus order and will retain its options for 50 more. Last May, Mc Gee announced plans to expand the work force by 3.5 percent and build new maintenance facilities in Or lando and Kansas City. Braniff extended the expiration date of issued tickets until Sept. 27, 1990. Continental Airlines and Eastern Airlines, both subsidiaries of Texas Air Corp., said they will honor most Braniff tickets. Fast Break Breakfast Specials from $2*49 Mon. - Fri. 6:00 -11:00 a.m. (except holidays) AS SEEM ON TV! INTERNATIONAL HOUSE rnMum. RESTAURANT International House of Pancakes 103 S. College Ave. Skaggs Shopping Center SA Y FAREWELL TO FLA T HAIR. High energy hair, more volume and life, plus truly incredible, shine. That's what you get with VaVoom, and you get them all with incredible ease The VaVoom Volume Generators™ from Matrix. For today's active men and women. Enjoy sensa tional body, styling excitement, a dramatic differ ence in how your hair looks and responds. ferguson and company 846-1010 809 east university drive, sufte 4 ip t $Q00 * DOLBY O BARGAIN IUTNEE ALL SHOWS BEFORE 6 P.M. After noontimes are lor Sal. a Sun only Park’s tax is 59.7 cents per $ 100. But Highland Park has almost ten times the property wealth, according to state tax records. For each of its students, there is about $1.1 mil lion in property to tax. Wilmer-Hutchins has $124,450 worth of taxable property per student. As a result, Highland Park was able to spend $4,570 per pupil in the 1987-88 school vear, at about the top of the statewide scale, according to state officials. Wilmer-Hutchins spent $3,905 for each of its students, about $700 more than the state average. The Highland Park district has about 4,000 students; Wilmer-Hutchins about 3,700. Highland Park Superintendent Winston Power said he recognizes his district’s advantages and believes something should he done to make sure there is “reasonable and efficient” f unding of less affluent districts. He doesn’t have a suggested funding plan, hut said the issue needs to be talked over between districts and the state — something he believes isn’t happening as long as the dispute is in court. It has been there since 1984, when 68 of the state’s poorer school districts filed a lawsuit con tending the Texas school funding system is un constitutional. Highland Park is one of 48 districts interven ing in the lawsuit in defense of the state. Wilmer- Hutchins is not directly involved in the case. MANOR EAST III MANOR EAST MALL 823-8300 ' f*a SMI 406 7 *00 t o* HONEY I SHRUNK 2:10 4:35 THE KIDS PG-13 7:10 9:35 : atis mho sally740 aou PLAZA THREE | 226 SOUTHWEST PKWY 693-2457 BtACKRAW THE ABYSS * LETHAL « ft 2*K 44S ' '7M im PO 2:00 4:35 740 1040 .. &10 400 m **» *06 SCHULMAN SIX 2000 E. 29TH STREET 775-2463 | DEAD POETS SOCIETY traXAHA. JONES* uarfiBWAOE,# mxMooMMii PC 240 440 740 9>45 $1 DOLLAR MOVIES $1 Half of This Years Medical School Class Got There With Our I lelp Get a Head Start Even though the next MCAT isn’t until April 28, 1990, you can start preparing now. There are over 150 hours of material available in our Test-N-Tape® library. Register before Oct. 15 and save $50.00 Give Us a Call at 696-Prep S STANLEY H. KAPLAN JUTakc Kaplan OrTakc Your Chances RELB OF DREAMS WEEKEND AT mwes LICENSE TO KILL YOUNQ i feiNsm* 2:10 445 PG 7:10 940 tpamoo 445 740 9:30 R 245 445 745 945 400 *os COMING SOON AN INNOCENT MAN GROSS ANATOMY NEXT OF KIN ClNEPLEX ODEON \ THEATRES RFAL BUTTER SERVED ON ERE-SH, HOT POPCORN AT ALL THEATRES paroled 5,772 inmates from county jails, a 550.7 percent increase from the previous fiscal year total of 887, according to the state Board of Par dons and Paroles. Rey Selvera, a parole analyst with the board, said tne pool of eligible inmates has increased since July af ter legislators changed the law to en able prisoners in county jails to earn good-conduct time credit at the same rate as if they were in the TDC. Until last year, parole officials only reviewed inmates that were sen tenced to five years or less, he said. But now the pardons and paroles board is reviewing candidates sen tenced to up to 10 years imprison ment, Selvera said. This includes as sault offenders, he said. POST OAK THREE 1500 Harvey Rond UNCLE BUCK(PG) 7:15 9:15 SEX, LIES & VIDEO TAPES (R) 7:30 9:30 RIVER OF DEATH (R) 2:00 4:00 7:00 9:00 CINEMA THREE 315 College Ave. PARENTHOOD (PG-13) 7:00 9:20 BATMAN (PG-13) 7:05 9:30 SEA OF LOVE (R) 7:15 9:35 s s 5 TEXAS HALL OF FAME Your #1 Live Country Night Spot! Fri. night - Free Bar Drinks & Draft Beer 8-11 p.m. Sat. night - Any Single Shot Bar Drink, qq Longnecks, margaritas I ■ Border Line Playing Sept. 30 College & Faculty I.D.’s - $2°° OFF Admission 822-2222 2309 FM 2818 South ^ 322ZZZZ2. ’Z22ZZZZZZZZZ£& Digital Audio Exchange NOW THERE ARE TWO LOCATIONS! Sale Prices Every Day, New CD’s Daily New and Used Compact Disc’s We Buy Used CD’s 1501 FM 2818 College Station 764-8751 (Just West of K-Mart) 3912 Old College Rd. Bryan 846-2695 (North Ave. Old College) $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $!!£ IRRITABLE BOWEL STUDY $100 Symptamatic patients with recent physician diagnosed, irrl- finn table bowel syndrome to participate in a short study. $100 $100 incentive * or those chosen to partiepate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 US PAINFUL MUSCULAR INJURIES flS $50 Individual with recent lower back or neck pain, sprain, strains, $50 $50 muscle spasms, or painful muscular sport injury to participate $50 $50 in a one week research study. $50 incentive for those chosen $50 $50 to participate. $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 ff°° HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY g®® ,ndividua,s with hi 9 h blood pressure medication daily to $300 P artici P ate in a high blood pressure study. $300 incentive I 300 frrr for those chosen to participate. . 5300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $200 MENSTRUAL CRAMP STUDY $200 lonn Women * 18 years and older who suffer from menstrual cramps. $40-$200 incentive for those chosen to partic- pate- $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 Cold Study : $50 1 tso Individual 18 years & older who suffers from recent onset of jgQ the common cold. $50 incentive for those chosen to partici- Jen pate $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $50 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 FALL WEED ALLERGY STUDIES $400 $400 . $400 $400 ,ndividuals 16 years or oidar to participate In Fall weed aUerpy- nn S40Q studies. Known weed allergic patients welcome. SlOWWOO indetv $400 $400 tiV6 for ,hose chosen to participate. $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 CALL PAULL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL