Budget Pact Near, But Some Teachers Get Pink Slips

By Robert C. Johnston

Washington

When Congress returns from its two-week recess on April 15, lawmakers will have nine days to complete work on a fiscal 1996 spending bill that will probably set federal education funding close to 1995 levels.

While House and Senate negotiators tentatively agreed on funding levels for education programs, they failed to wrap up the omnibus bill last month. Congress was forced to pass its 12th temporary spending bill since Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year, to keep several federal agencies open, including the Department of Education. That stopgap...