News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup

Tax hikes that would have raised more money for education in Illinois were voted down in 48 of 60 local school district referendums, or 80 percent of the ballot initiatives held across the state on Nov. 5.

Those rejections played out against a backdrop of fiscal uncertainty in Illinois classrooms. State officials recently estimated that 85 percent of the state's school districts were operating with budget deficits. ( Illinois Districts Using Red Ink to Pen Budgets, Nov. 6, 2002.)

In addition, Illinois' fiscal 2003 education budget was $176 million, or 4 percent...