Her main hope is that her two children, who are at least permitted schooling, will escape the curse.
She pointed out that the state permitted schools to substitute other tests, such as the Advanced Placement exams, if they considered the Regents too easy.
Previous winners have included Mother Theresa, the US evangelist Billy Graham, and last year, a molecular biologist and former Dominican priest, Francisco Ayala, who advised Bill Clinton and helped overturn legislation in Arkansas that would have permitted schools to teach Creationsim alongside evolution in science classes.
But his support of deeply conservative politicians such as Orange County's John Schmitz, his opposition to abortion and his endorsement of failed legislation that would have permitted schools to fire homosexual teachers earned Karcher the enmity of liberal, gay and women's rights groups.
The measure would permit school districts to shuffle 50percentt of their federal dollars from one program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to other similar programs.
The reaction was still strong, with Billy Graham arguing that a majority of Americans had been penalized, and lawmakers proposing 150 constitutional amendments permitting school prayer in the next year.
A federal appeals court had ruled that a state education law permitting school districts to ban the worship services was legal, and in December, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Also, legislation that permits school boards and youth athletic leagues to draft codes of conduct for adults passed the Assembly; parents who violate any code would be required to attend anger management classes before they could return.
PAGE A11 New York SCHOOL BORROWING BILL FACES VETO FROM CUOMO State lawmakers approved a controversial bill that would permit school districts to borrow large sums of money without voter approval, but a spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the measure was unacceptable and the governor expected to veto it.
"I'm concerned that the language not be so open-ended as to permit school aid funds to be moved to the highway funds, or health care funds to be moved to prisons, without a legislative oversight process," Ms. Krueger said.
