State Journal: Informational issues

Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice has charged that a Hattiesburg superintendent improperly used public funds to distribute a critical analysis of the governor's education ballot initiative. The educator contends that Mr. Fordice--a Republican who is up for re-election this year--singled him out to intimidate colleagues.

The ballot proposal would allow schools to govern themselves independent of school districts. Although the deadline recently passed for qualifying such measures for the 1996 ballot, supporters could try again to obtain the requisite signatures.

Hattiesburg Superintendent Gordon Walker said he spent $459 of the district's money to print 1,200 copies of a booklet that was sent to all of the state's superintendents and school board chairmen by the Mississippi Schools Boards Association. He described it as a "nonpolitical...