A High Stakes Fight

If you look through our blog archives (January-March 2007), you will find that a year ago we successfully fought for an increase in the amount of reimbursement the state pays us to care for abused and neglected children. When I say “we,” I mean all the private child care providers across the state and our invaluable supporters. Our efforts prompted then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher to authorize funding that amounted to a 15 percent increase – but only for one year. It was the first raise in the reimbursement rate since 2000.

We knew when Gov. Steve Beshear was elected that we would have to fight all over again since he would be proposing a new two-year budget. We urged our supporters to write letters to the new governor, trying to convince him that the innocent children in our foster care system – the wards of the state – should be his top priority.

Although he received hundreds of letters, last week we found out what we were suspecting but dreading: that Beshear’s budget proposal not only included NO rate increase for child welfare agencies, it TOOK AWAY the one-year raise. The Courier-Journal in Louisville ran a front-page article on the terrible revelation – “Children’s advocates: Beshear failing campaign funding pledge.”

Rep. Jimmie Lee is an Elizabethtown Democrat who is chairman of the House budget review subcommittee on human resources. He’s also on Sunrise’s board of directors. He bluntly declared: “They are terrible cuts. It’s going to be a disaster.”

Beshear claims he is ordering cuts across state government because of an anticipated $600 million budget shortfall. Currently, the state pays about 70 percent of what it actually costs private providers like Sunrise to care for children – the remaining money is up to donors to give. “If we turned all the kids back to the state that we take care of, it would really be a budget crisis,” said Vern Rickert, executive director of Boys’ Haven.

Our chief operating officer, Karen Hamilton, attended the meeting. “Sunrise has always managed to keep the lights on and the children cared for,” she said. “This is our priority and will remain so. However, the tighter the budget, the harder this will become. It is the law and ethical obligation of our elected officials to take care of Kentucky’s at-risk youth. These young people are tomorrow’s work force and citizens.”

If Beshear’s budget is approved, some child-welfare agencies WILL have to cut back services. Some may even shut their doors. That would be a tragedy for all of us, especially the children.

What do we need you to do? Write to the governor: 700 Capitol Ave., Suite 100, Frankfort, KY 40601. Write to your state lawmakers (you can find them at http://www.lrc.ky.gov. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper or The Courier-Journal: Readers’ Forum, The Courier-Journal, P.O. Box 740031, Louisville, KY 40201-7431 (cjletter@courier-journal.com).

If you truly care about all of God’s children, you will support us in this high-stakes fight.