SENATE BARS CUT IN SCHOOL FUNDS

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 — Federal aid to school districts serving children living in public housing units came one step closer today when the Senate voted 43 to 32 to retain this new program in the $35‐billion, four‐year aid‐to‐education bill now being debated.

The action would add more than $200‐million to the contro versial impacted school aid pro gram, which President Nixon denounced as unfair and infla tionary when he vetoed an ed ucation and labor appropria tions bill on Jan. 26.

The amendment, offered by Senator Peter H. Dominick, Re publican of Colorado, sought to delete this broadening of the concept of Federal aid to im pacted areas. The vote to reject the amendment came after a day of maneuvering by those in favor of the aid and those op posed to it.

Eagleton Sponsors Bill

Senator Thomas F. Eagleton, Democrat of Missouri, said that public housing projects re moved property from the tax rolls in the same way that military installations did and put more children in the local school system.

Senator Eagleton, the sponsor of the public housing provision, admitted that impacted aid was “in disrepute.”

“But,” he added, “it enhances the quality of the impacted aid program to include public hous ing.”

Senator Eagleton also con tended that, since public hous ing residents were poor, their children frequently needed more school help than the chil dren of parents who are em ployed by the Federal Govern ment.

“What he's saying is that if you have dirty water now you might as well pollute it further,” responded Senator Dom inick as he told his colleagues, that his syrripathy for these children did not mean that he could put more money in a program he considered to be wrong.

The maneuvering today cen tered on the question of when amendments would be called up for a vote. Those supporting the impacted aid expansion wanted to wait until late after noon when they would have gained additional Senators who were busy away from the floor earlier.

Debate on the Senate floor in the early afternoon was pri marily devoted to amendments that would seek to prohibit the compulsory busing of children from one school district to an other in order to achieve racial balance.

By midafternoon a compro mise to end the maneuvering was reached after each side took a half hour to review their arguments and the vote was taken.

The House has already passed an education bill with a provision to include public housing as part of the 10‐year‐ old program of aiding school districts that are crowded be cause of nearby Federal instal lations.

Both measures were watered down by amendments. One stipulates that public housing districts can only get their im pacted aid after Federal em ploye districts have received their full allotments. Another makes the housing money a separate item in the bill so that the Appropriations Com mittee can deal separately with this aid without affecting other impacted aid.

The Southen amendments are expected to come up for consideration and debate on Monday. One amendment is copied almost exactly from the New York State law forbidding compulsory busing.

In the morning session of debate, Senator Jacob K. Jav its, Republican of New York, was asked by Senator Ernest F. Hollings. Democrat of South Carolina, if he would support the a ntibusinc amendment, since it was based on New York law.

“No,” said Senator Javits. He added, “The New York law is very wrong. My state passes bad laws, too.”