The government of São Paulo authorized the publication of a bidding notice to transfer to private initiative the management of 143 public schools in the state. The authorization was published in today’s Official Gazette (1st).
The concession provides for the renovation, operation and maintenance of these 143 state schools. The publication of the announcement was approved at a meeting of the São Paulo State Investment Partnership Program (PPI-SP), held last week.
“The collegiate deliberated for the approval of the final modeling, with authorization to publicize the bidding notice and other measures necessary for the viability of sponsored concession for renovation, operation and maintenance of 143 school units of the state education network,” says the deliberation that was published in the Official Gazette.
Recently, São Paulo Deputy Governor Felício Ramuth said the São Paulo government intended to make the auction of the 143 schools in the second half of this year. According to him, these schools were in worse conditions and need a great renovation. Auction winners, he said at the time, would be responsible for maintenance, security, lunch and internet services.
The outsourcing of school management is part of the private public partner (PPP) of new schools, proposed by the government of Tarcísio de Freitas. This project foresees that the private initiative will become a manager of the non -pedagogical services of state schools, such as cleaning, maintenance, food, surveillance and internet.
Historic
The concession of state school management for private initiative has generated controversy and questions in court. In October and November last year, the São Paulo government held two auctions that granted 33 state teaching units to private initiative.
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The first of these auctions, held in October last year, was won by the new West SP consortium, which took over the West Lot. The announcement involved the construction of 17 schools, with 462 classrooms and 17.1 thousand vacancies. Already the second auction, from the east lot, was bid by the SP+School consortium, which was responsible for the management of 16 teaching units that would serve 17,600 students in 476 classrooms.
In March of this year, however, Judge Luiz Manuel Fonseca Pires, from the 3rd Public Finance Court of São Paulo, recognized the two auctions as illegal, suspending the bids.
In his decision, he acknowledged that it would be difficult to “dissociate the physical space of pedagogical activity” and that “the risk of this public policy, it is worth repeating, is the commitment of pedagogical autonomy because it directly affects democratic management”.
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The São Paulo government appealed the decision and the president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, eventually decided to release the continuity of the bidding of the São Paulo government to grant the management of these 33 public schools to private sector.
