FCF Council discusses program funding

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Members of the Van Wert County Family and Children First Council found themselves debating how to continue to provide needed services to Van Wert County’s most vulnerable children and families during a meeting held earlier this week.

The discussion began with a request by Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Ken Amstutz for other agencies to provide some funding for the program. The school district — which is fiscal agent of the program — is currently providing all operating money for Family and Children First (FCF).

While both Amstutz and VWCS Board President Mike Morrow said they feel the schools is the right place for the program, they also expressed concerns about funding for the program as agency budgets get tighter and tighter.

Amstutz noted that part of the discussion at a meeting last week of the Family and Children First Advisory Committee was on “finances and our concern as Van Wert City Schools in funding what we’re trying to do with Family and Children First.”

In its request for additional funding, the school district looked to the county Job and Family Services Department (DJFS) for a portion of a $77,000 “windfall” the department received recently as part of a settlement with the state. However, Jim Beard, DJFS executive director, didn’t hold out much hope of any significant portion of that money being used for Family and Children First, noting that he can turn the $77,000 into the equivalent of $214,000 by using it as match money for the Child Support Enforcement Agency.

Beard did say he might be able to provide $5,000 of those funds to help shore up FCF financing, but was supported by County Commissioner Clair Dudgeon in his decision to use most of the money in-house, since it would save the county’s General Fund somewhere between $70,000 and $90,000 that would otherwise have to be used as matching funds for state programs.

While Morrow agreed with Amstutz that FCF should remain in the schools, he was also adamant that, with the state likely to cut funding entirely for the program, the city board of education could not support providing money for the program indefinitely.

“We cannot continue, in good conscience, to continue to use our resources to prop up a program that provides community services and be the only person in the pot paying these bills,” the school board president stressed.

Amstutz reiterated that the school district would maintain the program through the year on its own, but is “looking at the commissioners for some type of remuneration” down the road.

Morrow also noted that, if the city schools drop the program, the county commissioners would likely be the entity that would be legally responsible to take it over.

Dudgeon said finding additional money in the county budget would difficult, adding that the county was the only local government entity that put its employees on a furlough program to cut costs during the economic downturn.

Other local government agencies, such as the City of Van Wert, laid off employees and used creative cost-cutting measures as a way to maintain services to local residents.

While others at this week’s FCF Council meeting were pleased with the job the city schools are doing with the program, funding was a thorny issue for them as well, with more state budget cuts looming as part of Governor John Kasich’s first biennial budget.

Beard added that the FCF program has never been adequately funded since the days when all agencies involved were providing money for the program.

It was a discussion, and problem, that is likely to continue, since few of those at the FCF Council meeting seriously believe there will be a return to the days when state budgets provided ample money to local agencies to operate their programs.

During the meeting, the group also heard a presentation from a representative of the area organization that administers the local Head Start programs.