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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1992)
State & Local Page 2 The Battalion Friday, November 13,1992 School funding amendment passes Senate, faces House THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN- The Texas Senate approved a proposed constitu tional amendment Thursday to re form school funding, but Speaker Gib Lewis said there aren't enough votes to pass it in the House. "Dealing with a 150 (House) members with their own ideas is a lot different than dealing with 31 (Senate) members and their ideas," said Lewis, D-Fort Worth. A two-thirds vote of the Legis lature is required to put a pro posed amendment before voters. Lewis said he expects the full House to consider the proposal next week. Although there are several school funding ideas proposed in the House, Lewis said, "Nobody's got a 100 votes." But he said law makers still are trying to reach a consensus. The proposal approved 29-2 by the Senate would allow local property tax money to be redis tributed statewide from wealthier to poorer school districts. The current system, which transfers funds among districts within counties, has been ruled unconstitutional by the Texas Supreme Court. The court gave lawmakers until June 1, 1993, to fix the system. The proposal also would re quire that 95 percent of state and local education money be equi tably distributed based on school districts' local property tax rates. In addition, it would set up a state bond program to help build class rooms. Sen. Carl Parker, sponsor of the proposal, said he's not "just all proud" of it. But he called it practical in light of strong opposi tion to such proposals as a statewide property tax. School officials have said state leaders' reform plan would result in large property tax increases be cause it does not anticipate suffi cient state funding to even ac count for enrollment growth. Parker said his measure wouldn't mandate local tax in creases, but that school districts would have to get the money somewhere to continue current funding levels. He said he hoped the proposal would provide in centive for Texans to "push us to do what's right, and what's right in my opinion is for the state to be the primary source of support for a state (education) system." Parker predicted his amend ment would end up in a confer ence committee to work out dif ferences with whatever is passed by the House. Revision put forward THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN - A Republican state lawmaker Thursday said he again has proposed a consti tutional amendment that would give the Legislature and local school boards — rather than the courts — the right to decide what is equity in school fund- ing. Rep. John Culberson, joined by about 20 other House mem bers at a news conference, said his amendment is the ideal solu tion to the continuing school fi nance crisis. Culberson, R-Hous- ton, said his plan would lower taxes and restore local control by eliminating the county educa tion districts and exempting school districts from unfunded state requirements. Culberson's plan has been criticized by Gov. Ann Richards and other state leaders.Critics say the idea would mean contin ued court supervision of the school finance system without solving the funding crisis. Bill Cryer, the governor's press secretary, said the amend ment would leave in place the state's flawed system for school financing. Culberson said the amend ment has the support of about 80 members of the 150-member House. fury finds Upjohn negligent Company ordered to reward family of convicted murderer THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS -- A Dallas County jury on Thursday or dered Upjohn Co. to pay the family of a convicted murderer up to $2.15 million after ruling the sleeping pill Halcion helped the man to kill. But the actual damage award, which still must be approved by a judge, is likely to be far less since the jury also blamed the man and his doctor.The jury reached the decision after nearly two days of deliber ation in the nation's first civil trial over the drug's al leged side effects. Similar cases against Upjohn, Hal- cion's maker, are pending around the country.The suit was filed by William Freeman, former assistant police chief of Fort Stockton, Texas, and his family. They said Halcion altered Freeman's personality and caused him to kill his friend Donnie Hazelwood in 1987. He is serving a life prison term for the murder. Attorneys for Freeman and his family asked for more than $100 million in damages. But jurors awarded just over $2 million, none of it to Freeman, who they said was 50 percent responsible for the crime. The jury said 30 percent of the blame is with Freeman's, doctor, Aaron Landy, and 20 percent is with Upjohn. The jury ruled the company was negli gent but did not act with malice.The division of re sponsibility left attorneys confused about who pays how much. Freeman began taking Halcion in early 1985 when he was having trouble sleeping after back surgery, according to testimony in the five-week trial.Free man's personality gradually changed, relatives testi fied, and he started experiencing amnesia, psychosis and paranoia, some of the drug's reported side ef fects. STACK GETS WIRED RANDY NICHOLS/The Battalion Ryan Passareli, a freshman marine engineering major who lives in Aston Hall, works on tying the lowest stack of bonfire Thursday afternoon. PARENTS NIGHT OUT sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega Free babysitting for the students and faculty of Texas A&M. Nov. 13th 6:30-10:00 p.m. 301 Rudder. Questions ? Call Wendell 846-7356 or Adrienne 846-9171 The Battalion ATLANTIS TILLMAN, Editor in Chief STEVE O’BRIEN, Managing Editor JASON LOUGHMAN, Opinion Editor GARY CARROLL, City Editor MEREDITH HARRISON, News Editor J. DOUGLAS FOSTER, Sports HEIDI SAUER, News Editor Editor TODD BLACKMON, Arts & Entertainment CHRIS WHITLEY, Sports Editor Editor RICHARD S. JAMES, Photo Editor Staff Members Reporters — Melody Dunne, Mark Evans, Todd Stone, Brandi Jordan, Cheryl Heller, Tanya Sasser, Robin Goodpaster, Juli Phillips, Tanya Williams, Julie Chelkowski, Mack Harrison and Will Healy. News desk - Kyle Burnett, Tracia Newbold, Jennifer Mentlik, David Thomas, Lance Holmes, Lauri Reysa and Jennifer Smith. Photographers — Darrin Hill, Randy Nichols, Sandra Alvarado, Billy Moran, Jennifer Lockard, Ricardo S. Garcia, Karl Stolleis and Robert Reed. Lifestyles writers — Susan Owen, Anas Ben-Musa, Tricia Martinez and Julie Polston. Sports writers— K. Lee Davis, Michael Plumer, Don Norwood and Ruly Medrano. Columnists — Anthony LoBaido, Stacy Feducia, Dwayne Purvis, Shawn Ralston, Matt Dickerson, Robert Vasquez and Toni Garrard. Cartoonists — William Harrison, Thomas Deeney, George Nasr and Clay Welch. Clerks — Darra Dees, Pejcharat Harvey, Shelley Rowton and Carrie Miura. The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division of Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom phone number is 845-3316. Fax: 845-2647. Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the Opinion Page staff or the contributor and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Texas A&M Battalion editors, student body, administration, faculty or staff. Advertising: For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-5408. Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA or MasterCard, call 845-2611. 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