Headlines
LA: Using public money to pay for private school vouchers approved
FL: Dirty tactics in fight for prison privatization
PA: Key senator opposes college funding cuts
NE: Lawmakers debate ending child welfare privatization
The private prison industry: Resistance isn’t futile

LA: Using public money to pay for private school vouchers approved
Louisiana’s new superintendent of education, John White, took a first step Monday toward opening the spigot of state and local tax dollars to expand the use of private school vouchers statewide…”I believe it’s unconstitutional that you’re doing this,” state Rep. Patricia Smith told members of the state school board before Monday’s vote. “That’s a very deep concern.” Smith and others who attended the board’s special meeting in Baton Rouge also criticized the board for calling the meeting so suddenly and without more public notice. When board member Lottie Beebe, perhaps the only outright opponent of Jindal’s school reform proposals on the board, put forward a motion to delay a vote on the matter until next month, she got three other members to vote with her, including Kira Orange Jones, who represents most of New Orleans. Indeed, even as the 11-member panel ultimately went ahead with the funding change, the debate put on view for the first time a wide range of opinions on the voucher idea. The Times-Picayune

FL: Dirty tactics in fight for prison privatization
The debate over privatizing much of Florida’s prison system last week probably marks one of the few times a couple of senators provided an escort for one of their colleagues — from the opposing political party, no less. It attracted little attention…Turns out, members on both sides of the aisle took turns sitting with Bullard to protect her from strong-arming tactics. Some colleagues worried Bullard could wind up in the hospital, unable to vote on the measure. One senator described it as “straight out of a gangster movie. Ultimately Bullard hung on and voted against the bill. The American Prospect

PA: Key senator opposes college funding cuts
A key state senator whose district includes Penn State University said Monday he opposes the deep funding cuts that Gov. Tom Corbett plans to make to Pennsylvania’s public universities and community colleges…Corman, whose committee plays a major role in the annual budget derby, said he’s looking for full restoration of cuts Corbett has proposed for the 14 state-owned universities…Corbett’s $27.14 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 calls for a $330 million appropriation for the state-owned schools, a reduction of 20 percent from current funding of $412.7 million. It would shave $146.4 million, or 30 percent, in taxpayer support for the state-related schools and reduce funding for community colleges by 4 percent…The second attempt at cuts for the state-related schools — which Corman dryly described Monday as “barely state-related” — comes amid the Jerry Sandusky alleged sexual abuse scandal at Penn State and what some believe is a deliberate attempt by the Corbett administration to wean those institutions off public support and to usher them down the road to privatization. The Morning Call

NE: Lawmakers debate ending child welfare privatization
Nebraska lawmakers launched into debate Tuesday about whether to put the brakes on the state’s experiment in child welfare privatization. At issue is whether the state should take back responsibility for managing child welfare cases from the last remaining private contractor…The bill was introduced before state officials announced that Kansas-based KVC was dropping out of the picture as one of the last two child welfare contractors.. Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln said a months-long study by the Health and Human Services Committee has concluded that managing child welfare cases is a core duty of the state. “The state can never contract away its responsibility for these children,” she said. “We always have that responsibility.” The committee’s study of the privatization troubles led to five major proposals aimed at fixing the state’s troubled child welfare system….Several lawmakers decried the lack of planning and oversight by HHS officials that led to problems with the privatization effort. Money problems led to four of the five original contractors dropping out or losing their contracts. Efforts to keep contractors increased state spending by 27 percent last year. “This house of cards called child welfare reform has fallen down around our heads, and it’s the children and the foster parents that have been buried,” said Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton. Omaha World-Herald

The private prison industry: Resistance isn’t futile
The private prison industry is on the march. In recent months the industry moved to take over 24 state prisons in southern Florida and buy five prisons in Ohio. Now it’s making moves in Michigan. But the industry doesn’t always win. Resistance isn’t futile. The industry wanted to buy five prisons in Ohio but had to settle for one. Community members pushed back and corrections professionals raised doubts about cost savings and program effectiveness. Policy Matters Ohio demonstrated that selling the prison will likely cost more money than it produces. Yes, the state gets $73 million immediately for the sale — but the lease commits the state to pay $4 million annually for 20 years. So depending how cost estimates are done, the sale will end up costing the state anywhere from $8 million to $15 million more than traditional corrections. Florida shows that the prison industry can’t make an honest case for the product it sells. OpEdNews