Headline
Condi Rice-Joel Klein report: Not the new ‘A Nation at Risk’
WA: Judge upholds Washington state liquor initiative
CA: Privatizing scholarship at Santa Monica College
NE: Neb. bill would increase state contract scrutiny
NY: Nassau to select private vendor to run sewers
OR: State weighs more private contracts for services

Condi Rice-Joel Klein report: Not the new ‘A Nation at Risk’
A new report being officially released today — by a Council of Foreign Relations task force chaired by Joel Klein and Condoleezza Rice — seems to want very much to be seen as the new “A Nation at Risk,” the seminal 1983 report that warned that America’s future was threatened by a “rising tide of mediocrity” in the country’s public schools.  It’s a pale imitation…The report cites lots of statistics that paint public schools in the worst possible light, and continues the trend of comparing America’s educational system with that of high-achieving countries — but doesn’t note that these countries generally don’t do the kinds of things these reformers endorse. Its recommendations would lead to further privatization of public schools and even more emphasis on standardized testing…Klein was chancellor of of New York City public schools for eight years, running it under the general notion that public education should be run like a business. He closed schools, pushed the expansion of charter schools and launched other initiatives before resigning in 2010 after it was revealed that the standardized test scores that he kept pointing to as proof of the success of his reforms were based on exams that got increasingly easy for students to take. Now he works for Rupert Murdoch…Rice was secretary of state under president George W. Bush. She has expressed her admiration for Bush’s key education initiative No Child Left Behind, which ushered in the current era of high-stakes testing but has now been called a failure by both Republicans and Democrats. Washington Post

WA: Judge upholds Washington state liquor initiative
A Cowlitz County judge on Monday upheld a voter-approved initiative privatizing liquor sales in Washington state, reversing an earlier decision that had left the measure’s fate in question. Initiative opponents said they would appeal the ruling directly to the state Supreme Court, but the decision enables the state to continue to move forward with implementing it…Voters approved Initiative 1183 last fall to privatize liquor sales and dismantle Washington’s state-run liquor system, which was formed in the 1930s in the aftermath of Prohibition. The measure, backed by retailing giant Costco, allows stores larger than 10,000 square feet to sell liquor, though it could allow smaller stores to sell liquor if there are no other outlets in a trade area. The Seattle Times

CA: Privatizing scholarship at Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College, a community college in California, recently proposed charging different tuition rates for different courses. Students taking high-demand courses would pay more money. Less popular courses would be cheaper. The two-tiered policy has drawn criticism, in part because it’s probably illegal….Santa Monica College’s plan to offer some high-demand classes at a premium cost received a boost Thursday with the announcement of a $250,000 donation to support scholarships for students who qualify…..How many more colleges are going to deal with declining state funding by charging students more money to take required courses? All the colleges can’t count on the largess of the Electro Rent man. The real policy solution to this problem is for California to just have higher taxes on rich people like, well, Daniel Greenberg. California needs these higher taxes in order to provide necessary support for higher education, making this questionable dual pricing system (and voluntary private donations) unnecessary.
Through the middle of the 1980’s community colleges in California were free. Washington Monthly

NE: Neb. bill would increase state contract scrutiny
…The bill by Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln was inspired by oversight problems with Nebraska’s child welfare privatization effort, which has led to ballooning costs and prompted four of five private agencies to back out of their child welfare contracts. Nebraska has reclaimed case management duties for children statewide, except in two Omaha-area counties, since the privatization move began in 2009.  “I believe there was conviction and genuine belief in the efficacy of privatization,” Avery said. “I don’t believe anybody was prepared for the outcome that we’ve witnessed since we actually started the privatization process.” The bill is part of the state’s broader effort to change Nebraska’s child welfare services. Lawmakers are on the verge of passing child welfare measures this session that would scale back caseloads for social workers, create a child welfare watchdog that reports to the Legislature and end the state’s experiment with privatized services in all of Nebraska except for Douglas and Sarpy counties. CBS News

NY: Nassau to select private vendor to run sewers
Nassau County is poised to pick a private operator for its sprawling sewer system in a nearly $1 billion deal that would represent the largest and most complex financial transaction in county history…Nassau will maintain ownership of the system and the contract will stipulate that the county will continue to set usage rates, Deputy County Executive Rob Walker said…The Mangano administration says that after a separate bidding process, the county will select a private investor who will provide the county with the funds. The investor will then be repaid by the private operator. The operator, meanwhile, makes its profit through operating efficiencies that it institutes…Some lawmakers and civic activists also have expressed concern that the deal will lead to less government oversight of the treatment system and possible environmental problems. They question the wisdom of relinquishing control of one of the county’s most vital assets for a one-shot budget fix. They also complain that they have not received enough details about the changeover. “We should not be the incubator for privatizing a public necessity,” said Nassau Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick), who also is skeptical of the county’s promises not to raise sewer rates. Newsday

OR: State weighs more private contracts for services
A decision is due by October on whether to roughly double the amount of central state-government printing that is farmed out to private companies…It’s all part of the authority lawmakers gave the governor last year to put back-office work out to bid in search of cost savings…A decision on whether it makes sense to contract out each of those services will come from Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget office, as long as the process wraps up as scheduled before she leaves office…A process set in union contracts allows state employees to bid on work. But that doesn’t apply to the new process that is targeting printing, mail and Web design, because of the law passed last year. It allows governors to contract out six government functions every two years. The Olympian