A House and Senate budget battle over education funding lingersunresolved, with the fates of many teachers hanging in thebalance.

Thursday is the deadline for teachers to receive contracts or benotified that they will not be retained for the next school year.The legislature’s unresolved education funding issue has left manyschool leaders in a quandary over whether to offer teacherscontracts or cut personnel in hopes that they can be recalledlater.

Dist. 39 Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said the Senate had included anamendment that would extend the contract deadline from April 15 toMay 1. She said that was sent to the House last week.

“We’re hoping they can get to it and extend that,” Hyde-Smithsaid. “Right now, we don’t know what their intentions are.”

House Education Committee Chairman Randy “Bubba” Pierce,however, indicated Tuesday that the extension amendment would havethe same fate as an earlier bill. A bill to extend the teachercontract deadline was killed earlier in the session.

“Delaying contracts is avoiding the issue as far as we’reconcerned,” said Pierce.

Pierce said the legislature has been in session 100 days. TheHouse passed an education funding bill three weeks ago, and it isstill stuck in the Senate Appropriations Committee, he said.

Pierce said the House was emphatic that education be funded, andthe House plan funds education and provides for teacher payraises.

“We made that a priority last year and that’s what we’re goingto do,” Pierce said.

Pierce said the full Senate should have an opportunity to voteon the House-passed bill. He said the House bill provides for about98.5 percent of education funding needs.

“Under the current budget environment, that would be a hugesuccess,” Pierce said.

Senate leadership, however, has questioned revenue projectionsused in the House calculations. The Senate has passed a budgetbased on legislative budget office proposals.

Hyde-Smith did not expect a vote on the House bill before April19 or 20. April 20 is the deadline for floor action onappropriations and revenue bills originating in the otherchamber.

Dist. 92 Rep. Dr. Jim Barnett said he was hopeful that theSenate would follow through on education funding plans. With thestalemate, though, he was supportive of extending the teachercontract deadline.

“I know that means so much to so many in Lincoln County…,”Barnett said. “I think we’re in a situation now where we certainlyshould extend it and give them a couple of weeks.”