AUGUSTA – An order seeking legislative action on school funding by Thursday remained sidetracked in the House with no further action expected as the deadline passed.

But the public debate over the issue may have locked lawmakers into appropriating at least 5 percent more in general purpose aid for the next fiscal year, a Republican leader said. The Senate-approved measure directed the Appropriations Committee to complete work by Feb. 15 on a bill increasing general purpose aid by 5 percent for fiscal 2002, which will begin July 1.

Gov. Angus King first proposed the 5 percent in his budget, which also asks for a minimum increase of 3 percent the following year.

The order was sent to the House, where it was endorsed informally by Republicans before it was tabled.

“We knew it was going to die,” House Republican Leader Joseph Bruno of Raymond said, adding there would be no effort to revive the order Thursday. But during the public debate over the matter, Democrats as well as Republicans pronounced their support for the minimum 5 percent and 3 percent increases. The two sides differed on whether the Legislature should commit to the obligation before a full state budget is completed.

“Morally, I think the first year is pretty much set in stone at 5 percent,” said Bruno.

In another school-funding matter, the State Board of Education recommended increasing the debt limit for school construction.

Wednesday’s unanimous recommendation, if approved by the Legislature, would pave the way for approval of at least $150 million in building projects for 2003 and 2004, the Education Department said.

The recommendation calls for raising the annual limit for construction debt payments from the current level of $84 million to $90 million for 2004-05 and $96 million in 2006-07.

State subsidies vary by project, based on ability to pay. The average state subsidy is 72 percent.