E.D. Seeks To Use '90 Census Data To Set Funding

By Julie A. Miller

WASHINGTON--Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander is poised to make a decision that will determine the disposition of billions of dollars in federal education funds--and decide whether some Chapter 1 teachers will receive layoff notices this spring.

At issue is whether the Education Department will distribute funds for the 1992-93 school year based on 1980 Census data, which have determined allocations under formula-grant programs since 1983, or instead wait until the Census Bureau finishes computing figures for the 1990 Census.

"We want to use the 1990 data,'' Mr. Alexander said last week. "If...