Philly Voice: Pennsylvania budget battle threatens to close pre-K programs
Layoffs begin to affect state services as impasse nears fifth month
BY MICHAEL TANENBAUM
PhillyVoice Staff
As Pennsylvania’s budget stalemate nears the 5-month mark, state-subsidized pre-kindergarten programs across the Commonwealth are in danger of shutting down, school advocates said Friday.
A spokeswoman for the coalition Pre-K for PA, Kate Phillips, told the Associated Press that organizations responsible for educating at least 800 children will close their doors by November 10 if funding is not secured. Meanwhile, more than 14,000 children served by the state’s Pre-K Counts program for low-income families could soon be impacted by the ongoing impasse.
Friday marked Pennsylvania’s 115th day without a budget, well beyond the 101 days that nearly crippled the state in 2009. Already, layoffs are beginning to affect social and human services organizations whose programs rely on state funding to assist the elderly, the homeless and victims of domestic violence.
Statewide, school districts and counties have established cash conservancy methods and taken out loans to make up for the deficit in state funds. The Philadelphia School District has not received approximately $400 million from the state as a result of the impasse, according to district spokesman Fernando Gallard. It has taken out $275 million in short-term loans to maintain the cash flow necessary to operate.
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ABC News: Pre-K Programs May Close Due to Pennsylvania Budget Battle
By MARC LEVY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Oct 23, 2015
Some early childhood centers certified under Pennsylvania’s state-subsidized pre-kindergarten program are starting to tell parents that they will close because of the state’s four-month-old budget stalemate, advocates said Friday.
Kate Philips, a spokeswoman for the Pre-K for PA coalition, said that organizations closing their doors by Nov. 10 educate at least 800 children in the state’s Pre-K Counts program. Children from low-income families qualify for Pre-K Counts, which serves nearly 14,000 children.
This year’s prolonged budget impasse has blown past the 101 day-stalemate of 2009 — Friday was the 115th day — and around the state, layoffs are mounting because social and human services organizations have not gotten state funding that they counted on.
A United Way of Pennsylvania survey of 282 organizations through Oct. 11 reported almost 700 employees who have been furloughed, had hours reduced or worked without pay. More than 500 others lost employee benefits, the United Way said.
School districts and counties are taking out loans, tapping reserves or letting bills pile up. Programs in some areas are piling up waiting lists, including in-home domestic help for the elderly and relocation aid for domestic violence victims or the homeless.
In northeastern Pennsylvania, the Growing Place in Brodheadsville sent a letter home Thursday to Pre-K Counts parents that it is closing the program after next Friday and will not reopen until a budget is passed.
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ABC 27: Pre-K schools feeling the squeeze of the budget impasse
By Mark Hall
Published: October 23, 2015, 10:30 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A lot of pre-kindergarten learning centers state wide are facing tough decisions.
Some are taking out loans to keep their doors open while others are considering shutting down until the budget impasse ends.
According to Pre-K For PA coalition, they have confirmed that 19 providers will be closed by November 10, affecting 884 kids and families and an additional 16 confirmed they will close by December 30, affecting 1345 kids and families.
Bright Futures Learning Center in Steelton is feeling the pinch.
They have been cutting back their hours, and several senior employees have not received a paycheck in several weeks.
Laura Pryor is an administrator at the Steelton facility. She says things are not looking good, and closing down until a budget is reached, is still an option. “We are looking at 86 children who may be displaced very shortly if the budget is not passed,” said Pryor, We have 13-15 teachers that could be laid off and displaced from employment.’
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Pocono Record: Brodheadsville preschool to close due to state budget impasse
By Lynn Ondrusek
Pocono Record Writer
Posted Oct. 22, 2015
Friday marks 115 days that Pennsylvania has been without a budget, and one local preschool is feeling the pinch.
It’s more than a pinch, actually.
The Growing Place’s Pre-K Counts program in Brodheadsville will be shutting its doors at the end of next week if a budget isn’t in place, said Executive Director Lisa Eick.
The state-funded program has not been getting the money it needs because of the budget impasse in Harrisburg. Eick said The Growing Place has been funding the program on its own — $40,000 in staff salary alone, so far, plus expenses for the program and nutrition service — since it opened for the school year in August.
“We can only fund it for so long on the backs of ourselves,” she said Thursday afternoon, adding that 68 students and seven employees will be affected by the closing.
Parents were sent home with letters Thursday explaining the situation. Eick said they will send the students home with a lot of activities to do during the break. They are telling the students the closing is a fall break.
“We really don’t want the kids to become pawns in the game,” she said. “We told the children that this is an adult issue.”
Eick said the budget impasse went 100 days in 2007. She thought there was “no way” it would go as long this year.
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WTAJ TV: Pre-K programs threaten to close
By Christian Heilman
Huntingdon, Huntingdon County, Pa.
Last week, the house voted down Governor Tom Wolf’s latest proposal mostly on party lines.
This is the longest the state has ever gone without a budget being passed. Thursday, a group of educators are asking lawmakers to come to an agreement
State funded Pre-k programs in Huntingdon County say they’ve borrowed enough money until Thanksgiving. If the budget doesn’t pass, they want Harrisburg to know Pre-K classrooms could close.
You could say Pre-K teacher Kelly Corliss is a lot of things… Including a mediator.
Kelly Corliss, Head Start Teacher, said, “Everybody has different personalities so whenever they come here you have kind of a melting pot.”
She’s been teaching these kids how to share — and excel — before they get to kindergarten.
“Head start is extremely important,” she said. “This is their first school experience for every one of them.”
The time spent in the classroom — and on the playground — could be in jeopardy if a budget doesn’t pass soon. Corliss says it could set her kids back.
Corliss said, “Depending on how long it takes to pass this budget, I”m going to have to start from day one all over again.”
Louise Ketner, Executive Director, said, “We would not take lightly needing to close our doors and we really hope we don’t have to but we can’t continue on.”
About 120 kids could be out of class if there’s no state budget by Thanksgiving. It’s scaring parents whose children rely on these programs.
Danica Coulter, Pre-K Parent, said, “Now what are we supposed to tell them? You can’t go anymore because there’s no money?”
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PA HomePage: Budget Impasse Could Close Carbondale Pre-K Counts Program
With every passing day, social service agencies say the lack of a Pennsylvania budget is hurting thousands of people statewide.
The owner of a pre-school program in Lackawanna County say she will have to shut down one of her classrooms in the next few weeks if an agreement isn’t reached.
The owner of ABC Academy on North Main Street in Carbondale says she’s been able to keep the doors open for her Pre-K Counts classroom for the last three months with no money from the state.
The state of Pennsylvania funds the entire program so she doesn’t think she’ll be able to go forward for another 30 days without a solution.
The smiling faces of the children in the classroom may show them as some of the youngest victims in this state budget showdown.
The students are only three and four years old.
There are 19 kids total in the class.
The kids could all be forced to stay home if their Pre-K Counts classroom doesn’t get some funding.
With no money coming in, the owner of the facility says there will be no other choice.
“We need money to pay our bills and certainly teacher salaries and things like that so we’re hoping our legislators will make a move on this,” owner/director Doreen Damskov said.
Melissa Biedenkapp has worked at the ABC Academy for 18 years.
She dreads having to explain why the closure may be needed to this group of kids that is already naturally curious.
“They have a hard time understanding things like: you’re not here today because the budget didn’t pass. It’s very difficult for them to understand,” Biedenkapp said.
Read the full article here.
