Rupert Murdoch given $27M no-bid contract from state Department of Education Read more: http://www.

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Source: NY Daily News

More than a dozen private firms wanted to work on a project like the one the state Education Department is set to award to a Rupert Murdoch-owned company in a $27 million no-bid contract.

Agency officials have cited "an extremely challenging time line" in their decision to partner with News Corp. subsidiary Wireless Generation to build a data system of student test scores and other information.

The Daily News has learned that the agency has explored the project for at least two years - proof, critics say, state officials had ample time to competitively bid out the contract and still meet a fall 2012 deadline for a federal Race to the Top grant.

"It raises all kinds of questions," said Susan Lerner, executive director of good government group Common Cause New York. "There appears to be time in this process to go through a much more open-bidding process to ensure that the public is getting the best vendor at the best price."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2011/07/31/2011-07-31_rupert_ripoff_alert_16_firms_were_up_for_27m_doe_deal_murdoch_will_get_bidfree.html

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Oh great, so here's more money wasted that should be going to schools that are desperately needing funds. Noooo, we have to burden the kids and the system with oodles of standardized tests and then give a no bid to Rupert Murdoch to store & analyze the data. What a fucking scam!