[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Price wise, Purchase Order foolish

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Price wise, Purchase Order foolish
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1231385895.shtml


   I suppose I should be saying "Hey, great!" but I'm not. [1]From the
   St. Paul Legal Ledger:

     As part of the stateâs efforts to pare down a projected $4.8
     billion budget deficit for 2010-11, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and a
     bipartisan group of seven state legislators on Wednesday announced
     a plan that would require Minnesota school districts and charter
     schools to combine efforts to reduce costs.
     The Minnesota K-12 Shared Service proposal would compel charter and
     public schools to pool limited resources in order to deliver more
     cost-effective services, redirect administrative costs and reduce
     duplication of services, the governor said at a press conference.

   It sounds wonderful, but it's little more than an amuse bouche in
   terms of relative financial impact. Besides, it's another intrusion by
   the State into local affairs. Notice the words "require" and "compel"
   above.
   Pooling for volume purchases is a proven strategy but there are
   multiple ways of doing this in the Internet age, including e-Bay. It's
   an opportunity that has been increasingly addressed over time and
   doesn't need yet another law, yet another bureaucracy to finish the
   job. And ultimately, Districts will be "told" to buy textbook A
   because it's on sale, not textbook B that their top-rated chemistry
   teacher would rather use.

References

   1. http://www.legal-ledger.com/item.cfm?recID=11345