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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 14, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 14, 2005 Funds for vulnerable kids, families may be cut By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Jackson County voices are joining a chorus of concern about a plan that would eliminate the state office of the Commission on Children and Families and slash funding to the local agency by $1 million over two years. Local advocates fear the changes would reduce already minimal resources for programs that provide services ranging from elementary school lunch buddies to treatment for juvenile sex offenders. "Given that the Legislature is struggling with budget issues, there’s definitely a chance it could go," local commission director Carin Niebuhr said Wednesday. Senate budget chief Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, has introduced a proposal that would cut an estimated $28 million from the commission by eliminating the state office, slashing its grants by half and giving the cash directly to counties. Advertisement There already is a children-and-family division in the state Department of Human Services, Schrader said, and the state agency could leverage more federal matching money. "The idea is less regulation, more flexibility," Schrader said. "I think it’s very variable across the state as to how valuable commissions are in contributing to children’s welfare." For more than 14 years, the Jackson County Commission on Children and Families has been integral to establishing and maintaining a range of programs to support vulnerable children and families, advocates said. Commission funds, administered by a volunteer citizens panel, started the first Court Appointed Special Advocates program here, as well as the LISTO program for literacy, the Vital Links program for pregnant substance abusers and the youth sex offender treatment program, among others. After the death of 2-year-old Tre Chase at a Medford day care center in 1996, those funds started a program to help educate and equip child care providers, said Becky Snyder, program director for Rogue Valley Manor Community Services. "We give away a lot of fire extinguishers and a lot of smoke detectors," said Snyder. "We helped build a fence (at a day care) because it was a safety issue for the children." Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s proposed 2005-2007 budget provides nearly $50 million for the commission, including more than $6 million for juvenile crime prevention, said Marsha Clark, business services manager. The state office costs about $3 million; remaining funds are doled out to volunteer county panels. Jackson County’s share is about $2 million for the biennium, or $1 million a year, Niebuhr said. Schrader’s plan would cut Jackson County’s funding by half. That concerns Jim Adams, Jackson County court administrator who is a longtime commission volunteer. "A 50 percent reduction will severely curb our ability to provide services to our most vulnerable kids," Adams said. Still, Adams and Hank Collins, county Health and Human Services director, said they empathize with legislators’ plight. Trimming administration is a logical move in a lean budget, Adams said. He added, however, that it may leave a vacuum in state record-keeping, direction and advocacy. Collins said some of the state office’s work wouldn’t be missed. "I don’t think we need legions of state bureaucrats to tell us what to do to prevent child abuse," he said. So far, Schrader’s argument has not persuaded many House members to eliminate the commission. "It is my opinion that the Commission on Children and Families is an exemplary structure for community-based delivery of services," said Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point. "They utilize local resources, they leverage local dollars and they utilize many local volunteers." Public hearing set The future of the state Commission on Children and Families will be part of a larger discussion of the state human services budget at a public hearing planned Friday in Medford by the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, and Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, serve on Ways and Means and its subcommittee on human services and will attend Friday’s hearing. The event begins at 7 p.m. at McLoughlin Middle School, 320 W. Second St., Medford. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] The Associated Press contributed to this report. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s