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| Illinois Extension struggles with statewide budget cuts |
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| By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich used his amendatory veto to cut at least $1.6 million in funding for 4-H youth development educators from the new state budget.
This cut was unexpected and so, at this point, University of Illinois Cooperative Extension officials are trying to assess the full impact of this action.
Extension’s County Board Match funding will remain at $12.8 million, last year’s funding level. A separate line item for a special Cook County extension initiative continues to be funded at $5.055 million, the same as last year.
Extension leadership is disappointed because it is felt that UoI extension’s youth program significantly impacts the development of leadership, citizenship and life skills in youth.
“We won’t know the locations and numbers of individuals impacted for at least two weeks, but there are several facts that we do know at this point in time,” said Gary Beaumont, extension communications specialist.
There will be fewer 4-H youth educators as a result of this reduction in funding, he said, which will have an impact on the 4-H program and how many youth can be served. About 30 counties fund their own youth development educators and these positions will not directly be affected.
Extension is looking for funding alternatives with the goal of retaining as many staff as possible, but this process will take time, according to Beaumont. All contracts will be in place for fiscal year 2008 and all employees with a contract will benefit from whatever salary recommendations are approved by the UoI Board of Trustees.
When any appointments are terminated, those youth development educators affected will receive 12 months’ notice, regardless of time in service. Beaumont added as soon as the full impact of this funding reduction is known, that information will be shared.
Janet Burnett, extension educator in Madison and St. Clair counties, said her office will lose a professional staff position in youth development. “This will affect the services we have been providing in after-school educational programming with the school districts locally, as well as the life skills outreach efforts focused on summer camping experiences such as Discovery camps, technology camps, et cetera,” she said.
Burnett said her office will be unable to continue the work begun with military families developing 4-H experiences at Scott Air Force Base, as well as service to families of deployed service members with a newly-created group called Speak Out for Military Youth.
“Without additional funding, all of these efforts will be lost. We are developing a six-month strategy for raising funds, but the opportunities for this, in addition to the fundraising already required, creates a dismal picture,” Burnett said.
While the picture in the Ford-Iroquois extension office is about the same, County Director Karen Moore is determined to continue the programs already in place. She said the Ford-Iroquois office is not closing and “staff remain dedicated to our mission of ‘Helping You Put Knowledge to Work’ in all major program areas.
“In view of uncertain funding, extension staff will be working with volunteers from Unit Council and other advisory boards to determine alternate avenues for local funding, if needed, to maintain this position in the future. This programmatic and fiscal decision is one that will involve ongoing discussions and planning over the next few weeks and months,” Moore said.
4-H is the largest out-of-school educational program for youth in the United States. It seeks to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, forming attitudes and developing life skills that will enable them to become caring, competent and contributing members of society.
In Illinois, more than 281,000 young people participate in 4-H and the other youth programs of UoI extension. More than 25,300 volunteers assist in the programming.
Moore added that Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D-Dist. 22) is conducting regional hearings across the state in September. 4-H members, volunteers, alumni and anyone who believes in the positive impact of 4-H is invited to talk about their experiences and how the budgetary loss will impact their local extension unit.
Six percent of current Illinois 4-H members live on farms, 53 percent are from cities and suburban areas and the other 41 percent are from small-town rural (non-farm areas).
For more information on Madigan’s schedule, contact your local extension office. For more about 4-H in Illinois, visit www.4-H.uiuc.edu
This farm news was published in the Sept. 19, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
| 9/19/2007 |
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