Miss. Educators Are Rebuffed in Effort To Reclaim $30 Million in School Aid

By Meg Sommerfeld

Mississippi educators, who have mounted a major effort to win restoration of $30 million in state school aid cut last year, have fallen short in their first test of legislative strength on the issue.

A Senate amendment seeking to link the return of the funds to an unrelated $5-million bond-repayment appropriations bill failed on a 28-to-22 vote last month.

The sponsor of the attempt, Senator Hob Bryan, said the fact that the amendment, an unconventional procedure designed to draw attention to the funding issue, managed to garner 22 votes was an indication of the depth of support in the legislature for restoring...