News
Sen. Carper Introduces Legislation to Virtually End the USPS. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has moved the United States Postal Service (USPS) one big step closer to extinction this weekend by introducing his new Postal Reform Act (S. 1486). Carper, a longtime ally of wealthy corporate interests, intends to drive the stake into the heart of the world’s best Postal Service. His bill, on many levels, closely resembles Rep. Darrell Issa’s (D-Calif.) H.R. 2748, which passed out of a House committee 10 days ago on a party-line vote with only GOP support. AFL-CIO Blog
NY: Charter schools and public schools equally showed poor testing performance. Dismal state test scores don’t discriminate between charter schools and traditional public schools. Charter schools performed better than their district school counterparts on some benchmarks — but not enough to separate themselves from the widespread drop in scores….The proliferation across the five boroughs of charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately managed, have been a key component of Mayor Bloomberg’s education legacy. New York Daily News
IA: Group suggests privatizing Iowa Juvenile Home. Terry Branstad should consider privatizing the Iowa Juvenile Home and immediately order issuance of new rules that would minimize the home’s use of long-term isolation and physical restraints, a federally funded advocacy group says. Des Moines Register
PA: Amid privatization push, PA liquor stores thrive. Although there has been a push for privatization of liquor stores, Pennsylvania’s state-owned retailers are seeing record revenues. Philadelphia Business Journal
NJ: Paterson school district scraps outsourcing of 500 special education jobs. Facing strong opposition, city education officials Tuesday night backed away from a proposal that could have cut more than 500 special education jobs through privatization. Some of the crowd at Tuesday night’s meeting. During a special meeting packed by more than 150 worried employees, Board of Education President Christopher Irving told the crowd that the district would retain all of its current personal aides, the 504 staff members who provide one-on-one care for students with special needs. NorthJersey.com
VT: Gov Shumlin: Privatization of Vermont Veterans Home not necessary. Privatizing the cash-strapped Vermont Veterans Home is not necessary for the facility to become financially stable again, Gov. Peter Shumlin said Monday, ahead of an independent report on the home’s financial viability set to be presented to lawmakers on Thursday… The independent report to be revealed Thursday to the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committee includes a look at “alternative governance structures” for the home. The Vermont State Employees Association, which represents more than 200 workers at the facility, feared that would lead to privatization, and perhaps a loss of state jobs. “Modest” changes to the home’s existing governance structure should stave off any privatization talks, according to Spaulding. Brattleboro Reformer