NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON : No-Busing Initiative Approved in Seattle

An initiative asking the Seattle school board to halt busing of students to achieve racial balance was declared approved, by a margin of 50.4% to 49.6%, after absentee ballots were counted. The unofficial count in last Tuesday’s election had it losing by 70 votes. The school board must vote on whether to implement the initiative. If it does, schools will receive about $4.5 million a year from sales taxes for “magnet” school programs designed to achieve voluntary integration. However, rights organizations have vowed to sue if the board does approve the initiative. No vote has been set.