News

IN: New study says Indiana Toll Road lease bad deal

The Indiana Toll Road lease may have paid off in the short term, but a new study concludes it’s a bad deal for taxpayers in the long run….John Gilmour, a government professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., says the state took an upfront payment at the cost of millions of dollars in revenue from rising toll rates that would have gone into the state treasury in later years.  Daily Reporter

WI: Wisconsin Study: Report Cards Favor Advantaged, Publics Outperform Charters

A new study by Wisconsin Forward Institute finds that the state report cards reflect the economic advantage and disadvantage of students. Schools that serve the poorest students get lowest grades. Schools that serve the most advantaged students get highest grades. The study also concluded that students in Wisconsin’s public schools out-perform students in Wisconsin charter schools. DianeRavitch

NJ: Questioning privatization of state lottery – editorial

The Christie administration seems to be in a rush to privatize the management of the New Jersey Lottery. We say — not so fast. There are still many unanswered questions and the whole process needs to be more transparent. Why make the switch? As some state lawmakers and lottery experts have said, a state could consider monetizing its lottery if the government wasn’t performing the operation efficiently. But by all accounts, the New Jersey lottery is profitable and well-run. Vineland Daily Journal

OH: Parking Wars: Neighborhoods fight parking privatization plan

Cincinnati’s plan to lease some of its garages, lots and all of its 57-hundred meters is meeting resistance and outright opposition. Detractors of the plan said it could also mean no more free nights and weekends and could affect more than just downtown. Hyde Park Square proprietors are also getting edgy about the move. They said they don’t want jacked-up rates ruining their holiday motto of “Don’t get Malled, Free Valet Parking.” “If these things are so profitable that a private company wants this whole thing, then why aren’t we properly managing these and taking advantage of the profits that are right there?” Rogers said.   WLWT

NE: Video: Privatizing child welfare: Is it working?

Three years into an overhaul of Nebraska’s child welfare system, an agency in charge of privatizing services is urging lawmakers to allow them to continue serving the state’s most vulnerable children.  KETV TV

MI: Detroit Tries To Stave Off State Takeover Of Finances

If the mayor and City Council cannot agree on a plan to reduce the city’s budget deficit, state officials are poised to take away their power and assume total control over Detroit’s finances…. At a recent council meeting, Marine Corps veteran David Malikun-Muqaribu is among an overflow crowd in the hallway outside chambers, shut out from discussions over privatizing 80 percent of Detroit’s water department. “I spent a year in Iraq and I did tours overseas in other theaters, and I’m genuinely blown away to see that I wasted four years of my life to defend democracy only to come back to the city that I’m from to see democracy totally eviscerated,” he says. No matter who ultimately controls the city’s finances, one thing all sides agree on is that massive cuts to Detroit’s programs and services are coming — even if the city eventually files for bankruptcy protection.  NPR

TX: Possible Toll Road for Hunt County

North Texas residents may soon travel between Hunt County and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex via a new toll road. The Greenville City Council is being asked to back the creation of the private toll road, which would initially stretch from Greenville to Lavon and eventually to the President George Bush Turnpike. The Council is scheduled to consider approving a resolution in support of the project during Tuesday’s regular session, starting at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building.  KETR