GOP stakes an awful lot on privatizing school cafeterias

All sorts of madness at the Board of Education tonight. See this story for the overview. I'm told the school board not only decided to appeal an unfavorable labor ruling and move ahead with its contract with Whitsons, but also agreed to dump the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin, a Hartford institution that has represented the district for decades. It will be interesting to learn why that happened. One thing is for sure now: the city's Republican Party is on the hook for the privatization decision that tossed 53 lunch ladies off the payroll. The GOP majority refused to back down even after the labor board's ruling and the Republican majority of the City Council this week declined the chance to go on record in opposition to their Board of Education colleagues. It seems certain to remain a hot political issue right through the 2015 municipal election. The Republicans have made a big bet on privatization. If they're wrong, they're likely to pay a price at the polls.
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