Cuomo Open To Putting Prison Closures In Budget
Facing criticism from Senate Republicans over his prison closure panel, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this morning that he’s open to letting lawmakers figure out what prisons to close as part of the budget process, not afterward as he initially planned.
“If somebody wants to name prisons to close and put it in the budget, the Senate wants to do that, that’s an alternative that I would be open to,” Cuomo said on Fred Dicker’s radio show on Talk 1300-AM in Albany.
Senate Republicans last week knocked Cuomo for creating a prison closure panel that wouldn’t convene until after the budget is approved —even though lawmakers would have to approve $72 million in savings from the closures before they knew what would close. Also, the ultimate decision on prison closures would be left to the commissioner of the state Department of Correctional Services, not the task force.
But Cuomo said his goal is to take the matter out of the contentious budget process.
“My mechanism would allow the decisions to be made on the merits, without the intense politics surrounding the budget vote,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cuomo seemed buoyed by a Siena College poll yesterday that showed his approval rating at a whopping 77 percent and that his cost-cutting budget was backed by 72 percent of voters.
“The people of the state get it, that you can’t keep doing what you have been doing,” the Democratic governor said, “that it doesn’t work and that more money, more money, more money, you’re going to bankrupt the state.”
He continued to criticize school districts who are complaining about his budget cuts, saying they need to find efficiencies within their bureaucracy. And he challenged lawmakers to vote with the public, not the special interests.
“It’s posing a question to the Legislature,” Cuomo said of his budget. “Are you going to vote for the people or are you going to vote for the special interests? That’s what this is. And this is a town that has responded to the special interests for many, many years.”
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What About the Other Early Interventon?
On behalf of the children who have no voice, the parents who may not realize they have a voice, and the providers of Early Intervention services across the state of New York, I am grateful to Comptroller DiNapoli’s Executive Summary, “Cost-Effective Investments in Children at Risk February 2011” —because at the very least he has placed two words “Early Intervention” into the headlines of the local news media—two words that have been either intentionally or unintentionally but unfortunately minimized for over one year in New York State.
Besides the early interventions that Comptroller DiNapoli is primarily focusing on, there is the NYS DOH-run Early Intervention program which “is part of the national Early Intervention Program for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. To be eligible for services, children must be under 3 years of age and have a confirmed disability or established developmental delay, as defined by the State, in one or more of the following areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and/or adaptive.”
There has been little written about this Early Intervention in NYS and about how both families and providers have been in crisis for nearly a year. There has been little written about how the hope that we once had for disabled children is being swiftly and without forethought dismissed because of ill-conceived budget cuts. There has been little written about the fact that NYS Early Intervention has already been drastically cut and that additional cuts are being recommended in Governor Cuomo’s Budget Proposals. There has been little written about the fact that budget cuts to the areas of NYS DOH-run Early Intervention can have the same outcomes that Comptroller DiNapoli revealed in his Executive Summary. Note according to the NYCLU, special education students represent 8.6% of public school students, but 32% of youth in juvenile detention nationwide.
There are significant parallels between the interventions, ie our Early Intervention Program and social early intervention programs that Comptroller DiNapoli focused on. The latter gets more hype not only because the lobbyists are larger but because people in general fear “criminals” and, because of this, public outcry from the constituency is more significant—no one wants criminals in their backyard. Yet, Increased illiteracy, social awkwardness, severe comprehension, alexia, dyslexia and many other disorders do have sociological implications if left untreated. As Early Intervention therapists, we rarely step out of our clinical box to discuss the issues that may befall our children if their issues are left untreated.
What is now occurring in NYS Early Intervention? Here’s an overview:
1. A significant reduction in the number of children who qualify for any and all services and a reduction in the frequency of services offered
2. The use of paraprofessionals instead of licensed and certified professionals
3. Early intervention therapists and educators and independent contractors received at least a 10% rate reduction effective 4/1/10. Having received only one rate increase in 1993, of 2-3%, early intervention therapists and educators are now receiving less than they did at the inception of the program. I don’t need to tell you that the cost of living in NYS has risen nearly 60% since 1992. Our EI providers no longer have work. Our EI agencies are struggling to survive financially
4. ARRA funds, stimulus monies offered to Early Intervention are either being denied by municipalities or utilized in efforts that recreate an unnecessary wheel – funds wasted, spent foolishly and without conscience. It has been reported that only 20% of ARRA funds issued have been utilized by the state and, that presently, these funds are going to be withdrawn by the appropriations committee. How could the funds be appropriately used with less than 6 months left in the ARRA funding cycle?
Why is it that no one appears to care for our small children 0-3 with developmental disabilities; That no one appears to care that a lack of services during a child’s biologically critical period could collapse a potential miracle? We recognize that if our children do not receive these much needed Early Intervention services now, they will forever be part of the special education or criminal justice systems … or even worse. That is, without appropriate early intervention services, it is likely that our Federal, State, City, and local governments will be responsible for supporting their needs for their lifetime. Are the Governor’s proposals therefore, in fact, an example of cutting off ones nose to spite ones face? Do making additional reductions to these vital services make sense for the future of NYS? Why are we choosing to impact those that have no voice?
In his State of the State message on January 5th of this year, the Honorable Governor Andrew Cuomo invited children from the 62 counties across the state to share the stage with him. Symbolically, he communicated to us all his belief that the future of NYS is with our greatest human resource: children. Nevertheless, the recommendations that our Governor proposed in the 2011/2012 budget will, in fact, further dismantle Early Intervention in NYS if enacted.
Note the value of Early Intervention includes but is not limited to the following:
School Issues:
• Decreased grade repetition
• Reduced special education spending
• Less early substance abuse
School Performance
• Increased education attainment
• Greater academic achievement
• Improved social competencies
• Greater economic success
• Higher home ownership
Economic Outcomes:
• Higher lifetime incomes
• Higher tax revenue
• Enhanced productivity
• Lower outlays for social welfare programs
• Decline in delinquency & crime rate
As Comptroller DiNapoli indicated, “An evidence-based approach to assessing programs makes economic sense. Identifying successful programs that help at-risk children in their early years will enable the State to leverage its resources efficiently, saving the taxpayers significant amounts of money. In addition, such an approach can establish a more fine-grained and flexible understanding of the risks children face, allowing the State to invest in the programs that are most effective in preventing children from ever committing crimes.”
So where are you journalists, writers, individuals who care about our children, our future, our state’s future? Where are you on this issue? Who will be brave enough to shed light on this for our children with developmental disabilities?
I look forward to hearing from you and sharing my perspective.
Sincerely,
Leslie Grubler MA, CCC-SLP, TSHH
Founding Director, UNYEIP
United New York Early Intervention Providers (UNYEIP)/(UNYEIPAP)
UnitedNYEIProviders@yahoo.com/
HOMEPAGE:http://unitednyeiproviders.weebly.com/
FACEBOOK: United New York Early Intervention Providers
PH: (347) 853 4241
CELL: 917 355 5060
FAX (718) 224 0103