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NewsJuly 8, 2001

Cape Girardeau was among the casualties in a budget reduction effort that struck eight of the 21 Caring Communities partnerships operating throughout the state. Budget cuts likely will mean the end of two summer camps and an adult computer literacy program formerly offered to Cape Girardeau children and parents...

Cape Girardeau was among the casualties in a budget reduction effort that struck eight of the 21 Caring Communities partnerships operating throughout the state.

Budget cuts likely will mean the end of two summer camps and an adult computer literacy program formerly offered to Cape Girardeau children and parents.

Programs that received more than $200,000 in state aid -- including those in Cape Girardeau and Butler counties -- were instructed to reduce their budgets, some by as much as 30 percent, following a $5.3 million reduction in the state appropriation for the project.

Caring Communities is a collaboration of public and private agencies who work together to provide health, education and job services to children and families.

Money is funneled to local programs through the Family and Community Trust, a St. Louis-based governing board composed of the directors of eight state agencies and nine private-sector members appointed by the governor.

Chrissy Warren, executive director of the Cape Girar-deau partnership, said she has been instructed to cut this year's budget by 15.5 percent, about $92,000 less than the $587,000 received last year.

Most of the cuts will impact administration rather than direct services to families, Warren said.

But unless local money is found to replace state aid, the Cub and GREAT camps offered every summer will end this year.

Cub Camp, offered to children in kindergarten through second grades, teaches reading, health and safety, social skills, art, human studies and self-esteem.

GREAT Camp, or Gang Resistance Education And Training, is a two-week summer program designed to reduce involvement in criminal behavior and gangs. The program is offered to students in fourth through sixth grades.

Mother dismayed

Denise Cox, a mother of two school-aged Clippard students, sent her children to GREAT Camp last week and has received numerous services from Caring Communities this year.

She swears by the local partnership and fears children will be poorly served by the budget cuts.

"It would make me cry," Cox said. "They have really come through for us. My kids' self-esteem has really picked up over this past year."

Cox said a team of social workers and others helped her family overcome a myriad of problems in the past year, including a lack of transportation and job skills, emotional instability, financial constraints and bad grades following a drawn-out divorce from her husband.

"I floated going home after talking and seeing there were all these different people with this kind of help. The support was just phenomenal to me," said Cox of her first meeting with a crisis intervention team to determine her family's needs. "Caring Communities makes you really feel like there's someone who cares."

Cox regularly interacts with other families at programs sponsored by Caring Communities. She said her family is representative of those who need the services.

"I'm seeing families that don't have any support," she said. "I know that with any given problem, I don't have that much of a worry anymore."

Not so successful

But not all news about Caring Communities has been good, which is why lawmakers slashed state aid by more than $5 million in May.

Caring Communities had already been targeted for about $1.8 million cuts by Gov. Bob Holden to account for a revenue shortfall next year.

But the budget approved by the General Assembly in May fell from $24.8 million last year to $19.5 million for the coming year, mainly because of complaints by some lawmakers that the partnerships were ineffective in some areas.

Nina Thompson, spokesperson for the governing board Family and Community Trust, said State Reps. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, and Charles Quincy Troupe, D-St. Louis, were the leaders in the budget reduction effort.

Both had concerns about the effectiveness of partnerships in their communities and "decided to symbolically cut budgets" in two House appropriation committees, Thompson said.

"In Columbia, there were issues with some unspent mental health money over two years," Thompson said. "With Quincy, I'm not sure if he's ever said on the record what his concerns were."

Neither Troupe nor Graham returned messages requesting comment Friday. Graham, chairman of the House Education Appropriations Committee, said in May that there is not enough accountability in the Caring Communities initiative because the money is spread through several departments.

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Rep. Pat Naeger, R-Perryville, said Cape Girardeau was an "innocent casualty" caught in the crossfire of political judgment.

"We have to try to send shots across the brow when you see folks not managing in an appropriate manner, but at the same time be careful not to affect those who are doing a good job," Naeger said. "Cape's Caring Communities project has been an innovator, one that set the standard and is very worthy of funding."

Warren said her staff will continue working with families and looking for ways to collaborate with local agencies despite the budget cuts.

In addition, Warren and others will work with local agencies to prepare for a more gradual reduction of state aid that is expected over the next eight years.

The weaning will take place so other communities can develop Caring Communities partnerships, she said.

"We were one of the first to be funded and knew that they'd be slowly reducing our funding by 3 percent annually," said Warren. "We were prepared for that. But when all of a sudden they come up and say a 15 percent reduction, it's harder to handle."

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

Facts about Caring Communities

* Thirteen employees serve children and families in Blanchard, Clippard, Franklin and Jefferson schools.

* Services include: assessment of needs and development of service plan, mobilization of community resources, individual and group therapy, social work services and case management, home visits, parent education, health services and education, family life-skills classes, training and technical assistance, mentoring

* Programs sponsored by Caring Communities include: Boys Town Model, Families and Schools Together, Family Fun nights, Holiday Store, Careers on Wheels, GREAT summer program, Common Sense Parenting, after-school tutoring, grandparent support groups, boys and girls after-school clubs, Adopt-A-School program with Southeast Missouri State University, reading programs, Children's Career Development, breakfast clubs, Adult Career Development, parenting extravaganzas, Scouting, resource fairs, after-school sports, Cub Camp, jump rope team

Budget cuts for FY 2002

FY 2001 budget: $596,383

State-mandated reduction: 15.5 percent ($92,439)

Planned cuts and estimated savings:

* One full-time community development coordinator, $34,746

* Became own fiscal agent (formerly contracted out service). $20,000

* Rent saved by moving into former Career and Technology Center nine months earlier than planned, $10,000

* Program reductions (Cub Camp, GREAT summer program, career development program, computer literacy for adults), $5,000

* Partial payment of business manager's salary (Community Caring Council took over 30 percent of salary and benefits), $10,000

* Payments for various insurance premiums and annual audit (Community Caring Council took over), $6,000

* Salary reductions as personnel hired to fill some openings, $2,000

* Staff development and training, $5,000

Total planned reductions: $92,746

Source: Cape Girardeau Caring Communities

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