News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup

Despite a plea from the parents of students in Roman Catholic schools, Gov. Parris N. Glendening of Maryland decided not to include transportation and other aid for private and religious school students in his proposed state budget.

The Democratic governor made his decision known in a letter he sent to some 6,500 parents who wrote him last fall asking for the funding. ( "Catholic Parents' Effort in Md. Reflects Role of Political Bargaining," Nov. 27, 1996.)

"Unfortunately, the constraints on the state's budget will not permit us to undertake the new major aid programs you have requested," wrote the governor, who added he would try to include private schools in a statewide school-business collaboration to get more classrooms...