Ohio Mayor Proposes 'Stools for Schools'

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic wants to lease the city-owned sewage system to a private contractor and then use the $200 million from the deal to fund college scholarships for the Ohio city's public high school graduates, the Associated Press reports. Elegantly nicknamed "stools for schools," the plan is designed to address the area's brain drain problem and requires students to attend the University of Akron (or one of the city's trade schools) and remain in Akron after they graduate. If they leave, students will be required to pay the equivalent of the city's municipal income tax rate for up to 30 years on future income.

Students and educators seem to support the plan, while the city's sewage workers oppose the move to privatization, warning against loss of control over public works and potential sewage rate hikes.