Carbon County Times News: Carbon Agencies Feel Budget Pinch
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
By CHRIS REBER creber@tnonline.com
Rachel Smith goes through the routine of preparing her classroom for students, even though they will be arriving a couple weeks later this year, thanks to the state budget impasse.
The Head Start teacher, based in Lehighton, came in on what was supposed to have been her first day of work to prepare her room and clean a fish tank.
But with the organization’s funding held up until a budget is passed, the nonprofit that runs the program has decided to push back the first day of school by two weeks from Aug. 31 to Sept. 14.
“Regardless of whether or not we’re starting, I’m here,” she said.
Head Start relies on state grants to fund its teaching positions.
Without a budget deal, no money has come out of Harrisburg since late June.
“I just want to get these kids back in here,” said Beth Ann Sheckler, who directs the Lehighton program. “At least when they were here, we knew they were happy, safe and full.”
Pathstone Carbon County Head Start is just one of several local agencies who are having to do without state funding while Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-led Legislature go back and forth on a 2015-16 budget.
Some of those providers shared their stories at a meeting Monday hosted by state Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon.
Vulnerable people
Many nonprofits have been forced to delay or modify programs. The organizations that are affected, in many cases, are the ones that help protect some of the state’s most vulnerable residents. While many residents feel no effect from the budget impasse, families with children enrolled in Head Start, the elderly, and those seeking treatment for addiction have noticed.
The United Way surveyed 312 organizations statewide and found that a quarter of them expect to curtail some of their services in August.
Instead of cutting or delaying their programs, some organizations, like the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug & Alcohol Commission, are relying on credit.
Executive director Rick Mroczka said with the agency’s current line of credit, the program in Lehighton can continue to operate through October.
In the other two counties the agency serves, it is unable to pay care providers until the budget is passed.
The agency was also hoping to take advantage of new funding for new drug treatment programs with the 2015-16 budget, but now those programs are in limbo.
“There is a whole realm of effect that this budget is having on us,” Mroczka said.
A critical time
The gap in funding for drug treatment comes at a critical time, according to the commission’s treatment program manager Jamie Drake.
“With the immense heroin problem in the three-county area, we are getting bombarded. Our facility is at capacity,” she said.
Providers are worried without these programs in place, an unintended consequence could be social issues that the government will eventually have to pay for.
Sallianne Schatz, of Carbon County Children and Youth, said her department has not felt any funding crunch yet. But after hearing from the other providers, she was concerned about the direct effect it could have on the cases she sees.
“If drug and alcohol treatment get pushed back, if there are no services for adults, we could have more children in placement.”
Read the full article here.
WICU TV: Erie Hosts Pennsylvania Kiwanis Convention
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Scranton Times-Tribune: Editorial: Clock Ticks on Education Legislators Don’t Miss a Payday
State leaders have spent the summer posturing about the state budget rather than adopting it. They have the luxury to do so. Even though there is no law establishing tax rates, taxes continue to be collected. Everyone in state government has been paid over the six weeks that the commonwealth has operated without a budget.
When the budget finally is passed, in effect it will be retroactive to July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year.
But for some citizens of Pennsylvania, the clock can’t be turned back. Young children cannot regain learning opportunities that are lost due to the failure of adult politicians to adopt a budget on time.
Even with a budget in force, only one in six Pennsylvania 3- and 4-year-olds has access to preschool. Republican lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf have proposed funding increases to make preschool somewhat more available, but even those marginal improvements can’t occur without a budget, and the opportunity could be lost forever to kids who are eligible now.
Mr. Wolf’s proposed budget includes $120 million in increases for pre-K access. Pre-K PA, which advocates early-learning programs, estimated that $400 million is needed over the next four years just to provide pre-kindergarten for children most at risk of academic failure. The Republican budget has countered with a $30 million increase.
Read the full editorial here.
Erie.com: Former Governor Schweiker calls for investment in pre-k
Former Governor Mark Schweiker opened the 2015 Kiwanis Early Education Summit, as part of the Pennsylvania District of Kiwanis International Annual convention at the Erie County Convention Center today with a continued call for significant investment in early learning and a repeated call to action to pre-k supporters.
“Stay energized, be intelligently persistent and we will be successful,” exclaimed former Governor Mark Schweiker to a crowd of about 300 Kiwanians and Pre-K for PA supporters. “There is a great impasse in Harrisburg, but I’m optimistic—I’m bullish about this. $120 million is a good start, which means 14,000 kids have a shot to get into a high-quality classroom. The intellectual and human and social development and opportunities for these kids is immense.”
The six-weeklong state budget impasse has left Pre-K Counts recipients without state funding, and a $120 million new pre-k investment hangs in the balance.
“We have a growing bipartisan coalition behind this,” said former Governor Schweiker. “This isn’t some off to the side political pursuit or a break the bank pursuit. We think it’s an affordable commitment. We’re talking $120 million in a general fund budget north of $29 billion. It’s not going to break the bank. I would argue in the out years that it’s going to save dollars.”
Read the full article here.
Former Governor Schweiker Calls for Investment in Pre-k, Encourages Supporters to Stay Energized
Panelists Discuss Power and Politics of Pre-k
ERIE (August 14, 2015)– Former Governor Mark Schweiker opened the 2015 Kiwanis Early Education Summit, as part of the Pennsylvania District of Kiwanis International Annual convention at the Erie County Convention Center today with a continued call for significant investment in early learning and a repeated call to action to pre-k supporters.
“Stay energized, be intelligently persistent and we will be successful,” exclaimed former Governor Mark Schweiker to a crowd of about 300 Kiwanians and Pre-K for PA supporters. “There is a great impasse in Harrisburg, but I’m optimistic—I’m bullish about this. $120 million is a good start, which means 14,000 kids have a shot to get into a high-quality classroom. The intellectual and human and social development and opportunities for these kids is immense.”
The six-weeklong state budget impasse has left Pre-K Counts recipients without state funding, and a $120 million new pre-k investment hangs in the balance.
“We have a growing bipartisan coalition behind this,” said former Governor Schweiker. “This isn’t some off to the side political pursuit or a break the bank pursuit. We think it’s an affordable commitment. We’re talking $120 million in a general fund budget north of $29 billion. It’s not going to break the bank. I would argue in the out years that it’s going to save dollars.”
Schweiker continued: “If we do this right, and the idea is a steady march, in four or five years we are close to 170,000 kids. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we will get there. We have to go in the right direction, because as you know, the academic and human development payoff is tremendous.”
Co-Chairs of the NW PA Pre-K for PA campaign, Ron DiNicola and Nick Scott, Jr., moderated two panels following Gov. Schweiker’s keynote address.
PANEL: The Case for Early Learning
Moderator: Nick Scott, Jr.
Dr. Karen Tyler, ED.D, Head of School, Erie Day School
Mr. Michael Palzony, Sr. Vice-President, Erie Family Life Division & Member, Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission
Dr. Joyce Miller, PH.D, CEO, Northwest Institute of Research
Ms. Betsy Bort, Sr. Vice-President, Erie Bank & Member, Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission
PANEL: Funding Education: The Politics of Early Learning
Moderator: Ron DiNicola
Mr. Mark Longetti, Pennsylvania State Representative
Dr. Jay Badams, Superintendent of Schools, Erie City School District
Ms. Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Public Citizens for Children and Youth; Former PA Secretary for Policy and Planning
Kiwanis International is a global organization of members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Each community’s needs are different—so each Kiwanis club is different. By working together, members achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. Kiwanians believe that when you give a child the chance to learn, experience, dream, grow, succeed, and thrive – great things happen.
Pre-K for PA was launched in 2014 with the vision that every 3- and 4-year-old in Pennsylvania will have access to high-quality pre-k. This statewide coalition includes: Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Mission: Readiness; Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; Pennsylvania Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children; Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children; Public Citizens for Children and Youth; and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. www.prekforpa.org
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Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Letter to the Editor: Expand Pennsylvania’s Families’ Access to Pre-Kindergarten Programs
As a parent whose children benefited from a high-quality pre-kindergarten program, I know firsthand how it can help young learners and why Pennsylvania’s leaders need to increase funding for it.
My two boys had the opportunity to attend Luzerne County Head Start during the 2014-15 school year at the Back Mountain Center. The staff made this such a rewarding and educational experience for them. It is reassuring to know that they are not only well taken care of, but they are making new friends and experiencing new things in a fun learning environment.
I have had the opportunity to spend time in the classroom with my kids. This gave me a chance to see how they interact in the school environment as well as get to know their teachers. I attend Parent Committee meetings at the center, where we participate in planning activities for the center and classrooms.
During the most recent school year, I had the privilege of serving on the Policy Council. One parent is elected from each center of Head Start and Early Head Start to help make decisions within the Luzerne County Head Start program. Through my experiences, I have learned over the past year that Head Start is not only there for the children, but also offers support to the families. In addition to the community resources, they also assist parents who wish to obtain their GEDs.
The Back Mountain staff have been great to work with. The family worker is easy to talk to and very approachable when you have questions. My boys absolutely love their teachers and felt comfortable and welcome in their classroom environments. As a mom, it feels good to have my boys rush me out of the house in the morning so they can get to school.
My 5-year-old learned to write his name, identify his numbers and letters, and enhanced his independence and social skills. The Head Start experience, and working with the teachers to help him achieve his goals, has prepared him for kindergarten and a successful future. My 4-year-old will return for his second year with Head Start, and I can’t wait to see what new and exciting things this school year will bring!
There’s plenty of research proving high-quality pre-k reduces the need for special education and makes it less likely a child will repeat a grade or drop out of school. But almost 70 percent of Pennsylvania’s 3- and 4-year-olds don’t have access to it.
Gov. Tom Wolf proposed increasing funding for the state’s high-quality pre-k programs by $120 million, which would’ve allowed another 14,000 children to benefit. The budget lawmakers approved increased funding by $30 million to serve another 3,500 children. Either is an obvious improvement; but considering we have more than 200,000 preschoolers who still lack access to high-quality pre-k, the more substantial investment will reach more kids.
Lawmakers and Gov. Wolf need to work together to create a budget that expands access to high-quality pre-k as much as possible so more children can benefit the way my kids did.
Jennifer Cebrick
Harveys Lake
Read the full Letter to the Editor here.
