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ICPYC hit hard by state budget cuts
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Published: October 31, 2009
State budget cuts have dealt a heavy financial blow to the Iredell County Partnership for Young Children.
Smart Start — a statewide education program for children as old as 5 — is seeing its state budget slashed by $16 million. The trickle-down effect to the 100 counties it serves means a $305,799 cut in Iredell, more than 10 percent of its partnership's $2 million operational budget for the year.
"Ten percent is pretty painful," said Iredell County Partnership for Young Children (ICPYC) board chairman Allen Smith.
Smart Start funding is a direct appropriation by the North Carolina General Assembly. It was one of many programs to suffer from the state's fiscal problems.
In response to the cuts in Iredell County, the ICPYC board of directors has decided to suspend the following until further notice: WAGES salary supplements, education awards and its baby books program.
The WAGES program gives teachers who are actively adding to their education salary supplements twice a year.
According to ICPYC Executive Director Marta Koesling, 189 teachers received $95,000 in WAGES supplements last year.
"There are no good choices," Koesling said. "It was very difficult when the board was deciding where to take money from."
ICPYC hopes to have a final budget set by the end of the year, but until then, it's in a holding pattern.
"We're committed to doing everything we can with the funding we have at this time," Koesling said.
Koesling expects there will be a second round of cuts by the end of the year, which will be based on state revenue at the end of the quarter.
The partnership will begin to seek outside funding sources to bring in additional revenue, an in-house has restricted staff travel, training and hours.
"We've cut everything we can cut," Koesling said.
Smith said he understands the reason for budget cuts, but is saddened the cuts will affect children's programs.
"I'm honestly disappointed," he said. "Children are important in what we do. We're getting them ready for school."
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