Democrat(ic) Money Burn: Cincinnati Public Schools

On Monday, June 22, 2009, certain Democratic Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education members made a proposal that may lead to a further waste of your money.

I could go on at length about the frivolous and unnecessary spending that has gone on at the CPS for years. Democrats run the schools in Cincinnati. Spending is part of their DNA.

What is the latest way they may want to waste your money? They tabled a resolution that includes language that will require that successful bidders on certain school construction contracts pay prevailing wage to persons who win the bid.

Here is the language:

"The Bidder shall certify that it, and its subcontractors or any other contractor performing work on the project covered under the contract of the Bidder, shall pay the prevailing wage rate and comply with the other provisions set forth in Ohio’s Prevailing Wage Law, R.C. 4115.03 through 4115.16, and O.A.C. 4101:9-4-01 through 4101:9-4-28. This includes, but is not limited to, the filing of certified payroll reports."

Are Board members asking the right questions about this? Is prevailing wage necessary under state law? Is it legally necessary to pay prevailing wage for these types of projects? Or, is it simply a way to placate the unions that wield so much power over the Board and the Cincinnati Public Schools.

How about another question. If prevailing wage is not legally necessary for projects like these, how does paying prevailing wage help the children of Cincinnati Public Schools get a better education? Shouldn't the Board be focused on what is best for the children and the taxpayers?

We can have these questions answered when we elect Todd McIntosh, Chris McDowell and John Banner to the Board.