School officials’ hopes were dashed Thursday when the Senatedefeated a House bill to fully fund education, but they believesome funding help will be found.

One tidbit of good news was received Thursday, thesuperintendents said, when the Joint Legislative Budget Committeevoted unanimously to add $43.8 million to the $3.7 billion revenueestimate for the coming year.

Gov. Haley Barbour said all the new money should be used to helpalleviate the education budget crunch.

Barbour and Senate leaders have come under heavy criticismbecause their budget proposals would leave public schools $161million short of what education officials say is needed.

Barbour renewed his call for delaying the teacher contractdeadline, and said budget writers will find more money for schools.But he also warned against setting budgets too high.

”My admonition for everyone is we can’t spend money that wewon’t have,” Barbour said.

There is growing support to provide more funding to education inthe Senate, as evidenced by the 28-21 defeat of the controversialHouse bill, said Lawrence County School District SuperintendentRussell Caudill.

The House bill was controversial because it was based oncreative accounting.

“We heard some rumblings yesterday that the Senate may have aplan,” said Dr. Sam Bounds, superintendent of the Brookhaven SchoolDistrict. “They’re saying that, but until we see it we can’t counton it. I’m very hopeful that the Senate will put a good plan outthere, it can be worked out in the conference committee, and wewon’t have to cut teachers.”

The defeat of the House bill means a committee of senators andrepresentatives will convene to hammer out a bill they believe canpass both houses.

“I believe they’re heading that way,” said Terry Brister,superintendent of the Lincoln County School District. “When you canget both sides together, you feel like there’s progress that can bemade.”

Caudill said his hopes were raised Wednesday night when District39 Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith called him to reassure him the Senateleadership did not want to see teachers let go.

“I’m more optimistic today than I have been,” Caudill said.

Some other Senate leaders came forward Thursday to reassureeducators as well. Local Congressmen Dr. Jim Barnett, District 92representative, and Bobby Moak, District 53 representative, havealso spoken out in favor of education.

In the three days leading up to the deadline, localsuperintendents have notified 47 teachers they would be rehired forthe next year, unless the legislature could approve morefunding.

Lincoln County School District notified “about 20” certifiedpersonnel. Brookhaven School District notified 17, and in LawrenceCounty School District 10 teachers received their pink slips.

School officials analyzed all areas of school operations beforedetermining they needed to cut teachers, they said. Janitorial andmaintenance departments, bus barns and teachers assistants were allconsidered prior to cutting certified personnel.