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CSC Backup 06/24/1992 Children ' s Services Council of Collier County Backup Documents June 24, 1992 F couNcQ o "Children... Today's Dream - Tomorrow's Reality" z - GRAND(I-NIRAL STATION SUITE 366 \ A �� Goo,„,r1t RC-)AD NAVIES,FLORIDA 33940 I+ -; ,,4 .)92 OFFKERS v,;,; .i fr d!. CHILDREN'S SERVICES COUNCIL OF COLLIER COUNTY Set ret rr Tii; :_. Regular Board Meeting h1,9,,,Eu,'r ;r . June 24, 1992 COUNCIL MEMBERS AGENDA n T, ,. , 1. Invocation EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call 4. Approval of the Minutes S. Treasurer's Report 6. Executive Director's Report 7. Old Business: a. Audit Letter 8. New Business: a. Election of Officers b. Plan of Action for Children's Services Council 1. Cadet Program 2. After School Program 3. Chamber of Commerce Initiative 9. Community Response 10. Adjournment 1 CHILDREN'S SERVICES COUNCIL OF COWER COUNTY ...."\\ rc) UNC17 '4 1 um% I. „ n r (') 6 - A - Children... today's Dream - Tomorrow's Reality" z z GRAND CENTRAL STATION ',i OTT � r,Ni o,, o � TELGO (813DLE)64EOAD R2;2 NAPI ESI J ! •OFFICERS E-S T )n,o' Rea Harper Vice Chairman Richard Shanahan Secretary Treasurer Mary Ellen zurnielde COUNCIL MEMBERS ir,dgc TFd Rrousreari CHILDREN'S SERVICES COUNCIL OF COLLIER COUNTY , ,I1a.(.arnrr,rd,r Delores C (ry Nelson A faerber Jr Announces ;avers Gaynor ,,Pa55idomo It's June 1992 Meeting Will Be Held Dr.'h-,mas Ric he/ WEDNESDAY, June 24, 9:00 AM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NA.I C Pinson Collier County Public School Administration Building 3710 Estey Avenue i CHILDREN'S SERVICES COUNCIL OF COLLIER COLJN ' / The Children's Services Council Of Collier County Meeting of May 1, 1992 Council Members Present Council Members Absent Alma Cambridge Judge Cynthia Ellis Lavern Gaynor , Bea Harper Dr. Thomas Richey Robert Ritz Burt Saunders Ron Webster Mary Ellen zum Felde A meeting of the Children' s Services Council was held on Friday, May 1 , 1992 , 9 : 00 AM, Collier County School Board Room. The meeting was chaired by Bea Harper . The invocation was delivered by Dr . Thomas Richey, followed by the pledge of allegiance . The minutes were approved as presented. Motion made by Dr . Thomas Richey; seconded by Burt Saunders and passed unanimous . The treasurer ' s report was presented by Mary Ellen zum Felde, treasurer; cash on hand as of 3/31/92 , $2 , 668 . 97 ; income, $2 , 766 . 49; expenses , $2 , 746 . 24 ; cash on hand 4/30/92 , $2 , 689 . 22 . Mrs . Harper welcomed Commissioner Burt Saunders and School Board Member Ron Webster as new members of the Council . Paul Pinson, executive director, reported Malcolm Davis , C . P . A. , has volunteered to assist the Council in setting up a computer bookkeeping program. Software for the program will be purchased when funds are more readily available. He continued that Meg Steinbeck, legal counsel , had been requested to research a legal opinion regarding the Council ' s obligation, as an unfunded, independent special district , to submit quarterly reports to the Collier County Board of Commissioners . Mrs . Steinbeck advised the Council should provide quarterly reports to the Commission even though it receives monies from private funds only. Staff has been instructed to proceed accordingly . Mr. Pinson then commented the six applications received for Council seats had been forwarded to the Governors Office by the Board of Commissioners and it is anticipated appointments will be made prior to the June Council meeting . He also advised, the Council is still sharing office space with the Naples Alliance wi rnrr For Children and there is flexibility for the next month or two in which to explore for new office space . Reference was then made to a letter addressed to Neil Dorrill , Collier County Manager , signed by Mrs . Frances Barsh and Mr . Egon Hill . The letter requested a hearing before the Board of Commission to express their "concern as to the use of county funds to subsidize the Children' s Services Council . " Mrs . Harper responded and reaffirmed the Council ' s position not to seek county funds and questioned the reasoning of the request . Mr . Saunders commented he perceives the ultimate object of Mrs . Barsh and Mr . Egon is to have the ordinance establishing the Council abolished. Judge Cynthia Ellis , reported on the current status of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program of Collier County which had been previously funded by the SATP of Lee County. She explained the only avenue presently open to sexual abuse victims for counselling since the SATP was cancelled is the David Lawrence Center , and that the Center recently received a HRS grant providing funds for a sexual abuse therapist . She continued by saying contact had been made with Kathy Hebert of HRS, Elizabeth Harrison, previously in charge of Collier County' s SATP program, Sandy Glover, executive director, Child Protection Team, and Rosa Hernandez White, Victim' s Advocacy, Collier County Sheriff ' s Office. It was pointed out that once the Collier County SATP is established, interaction among the various agencies will be required. Reactivating the SATP is off to a good start and the committee will continue its efforts to expand the program. To emphasize the severity of sexual abuse in Collier County , Judge Ellis held up sheet after sheet of computer data, each line representing a child who was the victim of battery , sodomy , fondling, lewd and lascivious behaviour , the majority of which took place in the home. Rich Hallas , guardian ad litem, gave a brief outline on the Success By Six Plan of Minneapolis , Minnesota. The information was forwarded to Mr . Hallas by Virginia Rudolpha, former executive director of the Minneapolis guardian ad litem program. The Plan has an annual budget of $36,000 ,000 funded by the state legislature and the private sector and is staffed by approximately 200 volunteers . Success By Six is the umbrella; the United Way is holder of the umbrella. The Plan was launched in 1988 to address the barriers preventing young children, ages 0 to 6, from developing to their full potential for mental , personal and academic achievement . It is a broad based intiative aimed at creating community support for children. Its goal is to have every child within the specified age group to have the necessary mental , physical , social and emotional development to successfully embrace the educational and social opportunities for growth and learning necessary in schools and the community. The Plan also addressed the problems of parents . The Plan' s goals were to: 1 . build community awareness and understanding; 2 . improve service access for all ; and 3 . to expand collaborations . Strategies were developed to achieve these goals; it dealt with immediate barriers -- unrecognized crisis , poverty , inacessible information, limited cultural understanding and system fragmentation. Example: Goal #1 . Community awareness and understanding was accomplished on all levels . Everyone in Minneapolis understands the Plan. A comprehensive legislative package and an employer participation programs were each developed. Mr . Hallas commented on one effective community awareness program ie. , the Activity Parent Card which assures parents they will receive assistance with any problem in the 0 to 6 age group. At present , there are 26,000 parent card holders . Mr . Hallas cited other programs and turned over the collected computer data to Mr . Pinson for in-depth study offering his services to assist in any manner . Mrs . Hallas made a brief comment on funding data and made reference to other Minneapolis programs for children beyond the 0 to 6 age group; this , too, was turned over to Mr . Pinson. Myra Shapiro, president , Naples Alliance For Children, and formerly of Minneapolis stated Minnesota hasalways been child oriented, and validated the effectiveness of the Parent Card Program. Paul Pinson addressed the agenda's mission and funding item by presenting the draft of a 3-phase business plan based on the strong philosophy that the power behind the CSC, the real thrust , needs to be, and always has been, the capacity and ability to fund services . Phase 1 . First 6 months, a short term period of initiation, during which time the Council must be kept alive with the administrative office and staff functioning; an awareness and education program would begin utilizing media partnership; an issue (to be determined) to serve as a key, central theme through phase 3 would be approved; needs assessments would continue; work on a Children and Family Information Center would begin; net- working with service providers and supportive community resources would be continued; a newsletter created; legal counsel to rework special legislation for CSC would be sought ; funds for short term operation would be raised and plans for long term funding initiated. Phase 2 . Beginning of second 6 months , expand upon phase 1 with focus upon the Minneapolis Plan; implement an intermediate fund raising plan through phase 3 that will serve as the foundation for future activity; Phase 3 . Beginning of next 12 to 18 months . Continue to build on phases 1 and 2 , and consider the wisdom of going to referendum. Burt Saunders questioned the wisdom of waiting two years to get the Council back before the voters and suggested that a quicker method of obtaining funds would be to seek monies from the Board of Commision. He doubted if an attempt to seek funds from the Florida Legislature similar to the Minneapolis Plan would be successful . He also suggested the Phase 3 Plan be tightened. Bob Ritz reported on the recent reorganization of HRS by the Florida legislature and focused his comments on the newly legislated Health and Human Service Boards , which he believes will greatly effect all the Children's Services Councils around the state . He explained fifteen people will serve on the District 8 H&HS District Board, with the Collier County Commissioners selecting two members for the District 8 H&HS Board, the governor appointing three persons , Sarasota 3 , Lee 3 , and Hendry , DeSoto, Glades and Charlotte selecting one person. The Boards will be important in planning HRS Services; ie. , District 8 alone, ,has an annual budget of approximately $200 , 000 , 000 with much of its budget contracted out directly to non-profit entities in the private sector . The Boards will each have considerable influence . In my view, the Children' s Services Councils around the state could be the perfect standing committee within a county for children's services that can feed into the Board. These. Boards , over time, will probably be the focal point for all health and human services that the state administers . Mr . Ritz continued by saying other changes had emerged from the legislature, including flexibility in budgets and personnel , and a concept called innovative zones -- a program in which HRS can 4 take a percentage of monies that normally reverts to the state and use them for innovative projects in the community . He then said, the Council needs to become involved with these Boards when they are established. The CSC should do needs assessments and be the focal point of a central information and referral program, and suggested all of this be addressed at some point in the near future . . Dr . Thomas Richey, superintendent of schools , stated he was aware of the H&HS Boards and remarked there were many possibilities for the Council to consider as reported by Mr . Ritz . He suggested Paul 's 3-phase plan be reduced to writing; that it be a special topic with nothing else on the agenda; that the Council explore where it is going and focus on what the mission should be and how it will be funded. Bob Ritz commented further, that once the 15 member Boards are established they can increase themselves to 23 , which means the Council could be represented on the actual Board itself . He reiterated the Boards will direct monies , programs and services in Florida because very few counties fund human service programs in comparision to the state dollars , and concluded with the importance of the Council working in this direction. Mr . Ritz then made reference to the Minneapolis Plan working on issues of education and other barriers , and reported there are presently 15 grants for infants and toddlers working on these same issues for children ages 0 to 5 in Florida with a collaboration of people developing a state plan to be submitted to the Department of Education in October 1992 . Pat Abbott , Collier County Public Health Dept . , asked if Mr . Ritz was referring to the LICC, Local Inter-Agency Coordinating Council , and commended the state for its effort to integrate HRS 's Healthy Start Program and the Department of Education . She also reported Collier County has a strong, viable District Inter-Agency which met last week to integrate Healthy Start locally . She then observed Minneapolis is a long established city; whereas , Collier County is a rapidly growing community where traditions are lacking and stated that even though the Healthy Start Program, ages 0-1 and gradually up to school age , has begun, it has not gotten support in the Governor ' s Investment Budget . Alma Cambridge pointed out the importance of the information presented by Mr . Ritz and Mrs . Abbott and emphasized the necessity for the Council to have a thorough accounting of what is taking place on state and local levels before voting on issues . She then stated Collier County is very mobile and in a constant state of change . One of its biggest problems she cited is the numbers of , old and young people who left their traditional backgrounds to come here to sleep , play and work with the young families being squeezed . Mrs . Cambridge then expressed concern for her race, saying there were only three black students graduating from Barron High and 19 black students from Lely High with the predominate number being Haitian . She reemphasized the seriousness of children's problems and the need of the Council to evaluate all aspects of service providers and the community . Dr . Richey stated Mrs . Cambridge' s concern for the cutural changes taking place was a valid one; that before dealing with these children and their problems -- to have access to them -- it is necessary to understand the cultural changes taking place . Bea Harper inquired "Will the school board appoint the two members to the H&HS Board?" Bob Ritz : No, it will be the Board of County Commission and further explained that two district groups are now being established; ie . , the Nominee Qualification Review Committee and the H&HS Boards . The Nominee Qualification Review Committee will receive and review all applicants for the health and human service District Board before submitting same to the Board of Commissions , who will select two persons . The Nominee Qualification Review Committee is comprised of a representative of the School Board, the Board of County Commission, the Chief ,;mow ,.......em Judge of the Circuit Court and the Governor . Dr . Richey inquired if the Board positions were salaried. Mr . Ritz stated they were not and Dr . Richey expressed his concern about this aspect of the Board function. A continued sharing of views on all the information presented concluded with a motion made by Burt Saunders requesting a definitive strategy dealing with direction and funding of the Council be placed on the next agenda; seconded by Ron Webster . Bea Harper proposed that since she had served as chairman for the past 18 months and Richard Shanahan, former vice-chairman, had been replaced by Mr . Saunders that election of chairman and vice-chairman be placed on the next agenda. Judge Cynthia Ellis asked: "What is the time plan when the H&HS Board will have money? Bob Ritz replied the Nominating Qualification Review Committee will be selecting applications on June 19 through July 1st . The Collier County Commission will have from August into September to make its selection from the applicants presented by the Nominating Qualification Review Committee . The H&HS Board, controlling not disbursing monies , will call its first meeting in November to establish By-Laws , etc . , and then in December will begin to work needs assessment , set goals and objectives and prepare the budget for the legislature . The Board must provide for mandated programs ; ie . , 4 Food Programs and Child Protection Services , etc . , but it may decide different priorities for optional services . Judge Cynthia Ellis , reemphasized the need to address short tern funding in order to keep the office functioning . There was a general consensus efforts to continue with public awareness should be sustained, development of an information and referral program should begin, the Council should not approach the Board of Commission for funds , immediate short term funding would not be considered as competition by the service providers , and Mr . Pinson should continue to explore all possibilities including reaching out to the yes voters and exploring a 501 . C3 status through a separate body . There being no further business the meeting was adjourned. Sincerely,` _ F(2)-A4&-- Mary Ellen zum Felde 5/8/92 Children's Services Council of Collier County Financial Statement MAY 1992 Cash on Hand: $ 2,689.22 Income: Pledges $ Operating: Interest 7.02 Donations 1,040.00 Miscellaneous Operating Revenue $ 1,047.02 Needs Assessment $ -0- Total Revenue $ 1,047.02 (.1) Expenditures: Salaries $ 1,541.66 FICA 117.92 Office'_qtental 250.00 Office Supplies 23.40 Postage • Electricity 27.19 Telephone 44.83 Public Relations Furn. &Fix. Insurance Equipment Contracts Travel Conferences Miscellaneous (Trsf to CSC) 600.00 Fla. State Unemployment Operating Expenditures $ 2,605.00 Needs Assessment Expenditures $ -0- Total Expenditures $ 2,605.00 Cash On Hand: $ 1,131.24 7,—couNCIzO "Children... Today's Dream - Tomorrow's Reality" z � • ^ TEL:(813)GRAND CENTRAL STATION-SUITE 366 GOODLETTE 64912=8222 ROAD,NAPLES,FLORIDA 33940 .),, ! � J y - . OFFICERS •FS T. 199°• Chairman: Bea Harper Vice Chairman: Richard Shanahan Secretary-Treasurer: Mary Ellen zumFelde COUNCIL MEMBERS May 6, 1992 Judge Ted Brousseau Alma Cambridge Delores G.Dry Nelson A.Faerber,Jr. Lavern Gaynor The Honorable Richard Shanahan John Passidomo Collier County Board of Commission Dr.Thomas Richey 3301 Tamiami Trail, East Naples, FL 33962 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paul C.Pinson Dear Dick: On behalf of all members of the Children's Services Council, I want to thank you for your commitment and work during your tenure as the appointed representative of the Commission. You will long be remembered by all of us as an advocate for children, that portion of our population who can't speak for themselves at the polls. Time will prove your vision and concerns were absolute and real. God bless you and help you to continue your leadership for our community. Sincerely, 4 CA.-- bh:kmc Bea Harper Chairman CHILDREN'S SERVICES COUNCIL OF COLLIER COUNTY FROST & JACOBS 4001 TAMIAMI TRAIL NORTH • NAPLES,FLORIDA 33940-8703 • (813)261-0582 • FACSIMILE(813)261-2083 DENNIS J.BARRON DENNIS J.MURPHY JOSEPH W.PLYE GREG E MITCHELL ADAM P.HALL COUNSEL J.LELAND BREWSTER II TODD H.BAILEY GREGORY P.ADAMS KELLY D.LOVELL MATTHEW S.MASSARELLI BARRY J-LEVEY JAMES S.WACHS LARRY H.MCMILLIN DENISE H.MCCLELLAND DOUGLAS S.TRIPP ARTHUR L.JACKSON JACKSON W.WHITE JOHN K.ROSE MARK H.LONGENECKER.JR. STEPHEN E.THOMPSON' MARGARET O.STEINBECK CHRISTOPHER J.WILSON ROI E.BAUGHER" RONALD E.HEINLEN GEORGE E YUND MARK H.KLUSMEIER RICHARD D.HERNDON CHRISTA F.NORDLUND ALBERT E.STRASSER DONALD MCD.ROSE PAUL A.OSE FERN E.GOLDMAN ERIC P.WITTE K.DENISE GRANT JOHN W.MELVILLE JAMES R.ADAMS DAVID C.HORN BARBARA F.APPLEGARTH WILLIAM L SENNETT III MARYELLEN BUXTON MYNEAR ALAN R.VOGELER WILLIAM D.BASKETT III WILLIAM H.HAWKINS II STEPHEN N.HAUGHEY CARLA HAUNZ RUSCONI JOHN HUNT JOSEPH V.HOFFMAN JOHN S.STITH DONALD L.CRAIN CALVIN D.BUFORD SCOTT A.MEYER ANITA E CROSS ANTHONY W.HOBSON' PIERCE E.CUNNINGHAM MYRON L.DALE WILLIAM C.STRANGFELD DEBORAH HOWARD PIKE EDMUND J ADAMS THOMAS V.WILLIAMS WILLIAM W.FORD,III CATHY E.HOLLEY ALBERT E.HEEKIN III E.RICHARD OBERSCHMIDT GRANT S.COWAN' MARK J.PRICE' PATENT TRADEMARK AND RETIRED PARTNERS LAWRENCE H.KYTE.JR. MARTIN E.MOONEY DANIEL J.PICARD NANCY DIRKSE DeWITT COPYRIGHT ATTORNEYS WILLIAM R.SEAMAN T.STEPHEN PHILLIPS DAVID C.OLSON REBEKAH E.BELL JULIA L.BODINE GIBSON R.YUNGBLUT R.O.KLAUSMEYER THOMAS P.MEHNERT JOHN M.PASSIDOMO. GREGORY A.KEYSER TIMOTHY A.MANGES JAMES H.HAYES JAMES G.HEADLEY JAMES K.L.LAWRENCE EDWARD K.CHEFFY' RICK A.HOPKINS KEVIN N.MCMURRAY DAVID E.SCHMIT STANLEY H.FOSTER ROBERT A DIMLING JOHN I.CADWALLADER" LAWRENCE A.OLASSMANN BRUCE E.LOVING KENNETH B.GERMAIN CARL E.WESTMAN" THOMAS D.ANTHONY CLAUDIA L.SCHAEFER PAMELA M.GATES JAMES D.LILES 'ADMITTED IN FLORIDA GERALD L.BALDWIN KATHLEEN W CARR VINCENT E.MAUER JOHN C KRUG RONALD J.SNYDER JOHN G.PARNELL WALTER E.HAGGERTY RAYMOND D.NEUSCH MARK A.SPITZ GAIL L.MORRISSEY RICHARD J.ERICKSON MICHAEL K.YARBROUGH SAM P.BURCHETT KAREN JOHANNES BOWMAN EDWIN R.ACHESON.JR. FREDERICK J.MCGAVRAN DAVID T.CROALL JAMES F.LUMMANICK LISA THORNTON FREDERICK H.GRIBBELL NEIL GANULIN THOMAS E.TAYLOR WALKER P.MAYO D.SCOTT GURNEY MARTIN J.MILLER JOHN H.APPEL ELIZABETH K.LANIER W.RUSSELL WILSON AYANA L.SLOAN MICHAEL F.HAVERKAMP CHARLES E.SCHROER BETH SCHNEIDER NAYLOR MINA T.JONES RICHARD A GETTY PAUL W.CASPER,JR. MARIE MARISCALCO BOYLE BRUCE G.HOPKINS SENIOR PARTNERS JOHN R.LEATHERS DOUGLAS E.HART DOUGLAS D.THOMSON ROBERT M.GOLDBERG CHARLES G.PUCHTA JOSEPH J.DEHNER" RICHARD M.GOEHLER ROBERT S.KAISER DAVID S.BENCE HENRY W.HOBSON.JR. SAMUEL MCW SCOGGINS BETH A.MYERS CHRISTOPHER P.FINNEY DANIEL W.SCHARFF JERRY L.COWAN SUSAN GROGAN FALLER DEBORAH S.ADAMS MARILYN M EDDY KELLEY E.GERAGHTY' DANIEL P.DOOLEY JEFFERY R.RUSH JOHN E.BARNES KIM MARTIN LEWIS MARK E.PUSEY JOSEPH J.CONNAUGHTON THOMAS A.SWOPE PATRICIA D.LAUB LAURIE A.BELAN NANCY BURKE RUE VERENA SMITH May 28, 1992 Mr. Paul C. Pinson Executive Director Children's Services Council Grand Central Station, Suite 366 Goodlette Road Naples, Florida 33940 ' Dear Paul: I am writing in response to your recent inquiry concerning the requirement for an annual audit of the financial records and accounts of the Children's Services Council of Collier County. I understand that while the Council is certainly willing to make its books and account records available for audit, the Council currently has no funds to pay for an audit. Florida Statute Section 125. 901 (2) (e) provides: "All financial records and accounts relating to the district shall be available for audit by state auditors as they are assigned from time to time to audit the affairs of the county officials. If no annual audit of the district is conducted by the state, the council shall cause an independent audit of the district to be conducted. " Section Five (h) of Collier County Ordinance 90-64 provides: "Books of account shall be kept by the Council or its clerical assistants, and the fiscal affairs of the Council shall be exclusively audited by state auditors as are assigned from time to time to audit the affairs of the County officials, and may be audited from time to time by the internal auditor for the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. " OFFICES IN, CINCINNATI, COLUMBUS AND MIDDLETOWN,OHIO • LEXINGTON,KENTUCKY • NAPLES, FLORIDA FROST & JACOBS Mr. Paul C. Pinson May 28, 1992 Page 2 The Florida Statute requires an annual "independent audit" in the absence of a state audit. The annual audit requirement is not contingent upon voter approval to levy taxes. However, the County Ordinance appears to limit audits, other than state audits, to audits conducted by the internal auditor for the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. In view of the foregoing, I recommend that the Council request the Board of County Commissioners to cause the internal auditor for the Clerk of the Board to conduct the annual audit of the Council's records. This audit will fulfill the requirement to conduct an annual audit and will not require the expenditure of Council funds. Please call if you have further questions regarding this matter. Sin rely, �/? , ggd et 0. Stein ec � 6/ `Service is rent we pay for living ... BOSTON — From time to time, I have wondered how Marian Wright Edelman does it.Why doesn't she She paid tribute to the small town that nurtured get depressed, despairing, overwhelmed? Why and demanded much of her. Tribute to the father doesn't she get out of the work of public advocacy who died when she was 14, and to the mother who and get a.good job with a big paycheck? kept cooking for the elderly in their church, even During the 1980s, the head of the Children's De- when they were younger than she. "I did not promise thefense Fund worked full tilt just trying to minimize mo Lord thprt him IwaI was going pwa ging way," said this un- children's losses. At the height of the Reagan Follies tilhe tells me otherwise." going all the way when programs were being cut, This simple and yet heartening book is Edelman's right and right, the best she family legacy. But it's also a sermon for those who - ,: could do was to apply one tour- did not learn all they really needed to know in kinder- / k niquet after another. garten. ,.. ,, : ; But when everybody started Many regard the Children's Defense Fund and 6 talking about what was feasible Edelman as the central committee of liberalism. But ' "under the circumstances," the the 25 Lessons for Life she retells here are another African American daughter, example of how absurd it is to divide Americans by granddaughter, aunt and sister labels. Indeed she comes out of a do-for-self, do-for- Ai% of Baptist ministers kept talk- others tradition. Responsibility crosses the family iT ° ing about what was right. When threshold. Ellen cynicism became the fashiona- bleThere is nothing liberal or conservative about style,the former civil rights Lesson 1: There is no free lunch. Don't feel entitled to Goodman lawyer wore what suited her in- anything you don't sweat and struggle for. Or Lesson stead:commitment. 4: Never work just for money or for power. Or Lesson On occasion, when trickle-down hopelessness 5: Don't be afraid of taking risks or being criticized. would wash over me, I would arrive at her office on Or Lesson 9: Be honest. Or Lesson 12: Never Give up. Capitol Hill with a tape recorder and she would talk. Or Lesson 22: You are in charge of your own attitude. Marion Wright Edelman, a nominee for the fastest Or Lesson 25: Always remember that you are never talker'in the Western Hemisphere — on a par with alone. your local auctioneer and NPR's Ian Shoals—would At long last, the constituency for the defense of talk about Head Start or child care or the growing children is re-emerging. There is some renewed poverty of children in America, and what needed to shame at the condition of our youngest. Some shared be done. sense that we have failed as adults, failed to exercise At some point, inevitably, I would ask whether the personal responsibility that came with neighbor- she felt discouraged. But she would no more admit hood life and the public responsibility that came discouragement than commit treason. And I would through government. As Edelman writes, only a leave wondering:How does she do it? "spiritually impoverished nation ... permits infants Now in the wake of the Los Angeles riots when and children to be the poorest Americans." hope and hopelessness compete for the upper berth in But if children have again come to the forefront national consciousness, there are some hints in her of our consciousness, they have arrived at a time new volume, "The Measure of Our Success: A Letter when we also lack confidence in our ability to change to My Children and Yours." things for the better. So perhaps the most important This "letter"began when her eldest son was a se- message is that people have no right to give up. nior in college. Ironically I suppose, the most re- "In sum," Marian Wright Edelman writes of her spected voice for children in America for the past 18 childhood, "we learned that service is the rent we years was not certain "that my children knew as Pay for living. It is the very purpose of life and not clearly as I knew as a child from my parents what something you do in your spare time." gets me through the day and picks me up when I am "Giving up and `burnout' were not part of the lan- down." guage of my elders — you got up every morning and So she put down on paper some of the common You did what you had to do and you got up every time and rare wisdom that marked the path from her par you fell down and tried as many times as you had to ents' generation in segregated South Carolina to her to get it done right.They had grit." three sons'generation in legally integrated but not al- Grit. It's how Marian Wright Edelman does it. It's ways just America. how the job gets done. r... Spec LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Session #1 FLORIDA CENTER FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH PO Box 6646 Tallahassee, FL 32314 904/222-7140 June 5, 1992 Dear Child Advocate: Here we go again... The first week of June brought the Legislature back to Tallahassee at the call of Governor Chiles to do the job they were unable to manage during the regular session - pass a budget which meets the growth needs of Florida. With the July 1st fiscal year deadline fast approaching, House and Senate leadership are rallying their forces to analyze and take action on the Governor's $1.35-billion "Fair Share"Tax Reform and Budget package. Although early committee discussion is focused on the "what to fund"array of health, family service, education, public safety, and environmental protection program areas, the debate during the second week will undoubtedly shift to the "how to pay for"side of the equation. Governor Chiles threw down the gauntlet in his opening Special Session address by promising to veto any budget which fails to meet his targeted areas of concern, namely: Investing in Florida's Families: $384-million Community-based Education Enhancements: 600-million Public Safety and Crime Prevention: 129-million Employee Productivity/Efficiency: 214-million Environmental Protection: 29-million It's the Governor's contention that the $2-billion in cuts sustained this past fiscal year prove that the road toward greater efficiency is being travelled. Yet every signpost along the way points to another area of need which must be addressed. For example, during the year ahead, Florida is required to fund the following growth projections: Program Service Client Increase State Support Aid to Families w/Dependent Children 68,189 $108-million Medicaid Eligibility 279,426 395-million Public School Enrollment 68,955 256-million 0 In addition, a series of pending lawsuits challenge Florida's capacity to legally serve an array children who have come into state care due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or delinquent behavior. These suits contend Florida is failing to comply with its obligations, mandated by state and federal laws, to provide a level of service for children removed from their homes. Initial settlements of these suits in Federal Court stipulate that to avoid losing jurisdiction over its child welfare and juvenile justice systems, Florida must provide funding for essential preventive and therapeutic services. Three case summaries follow: Bobby M. v. Chiles - Nearly a decade after a federal judge found Florida's juvenile justice system to be a mixture of brutality and disorganization, the 1990 Juvenile Justice Reform Act laid out a blueprint for achieving public safety, crime prevention and treatment services to keep delinquents from graduating into career criminal status. Although passed into law, the program funding has been cut by 80% over the past two years. As a result, more than 1,000 delinquent youths languish on waiting lists without supervision. Bobby M. court monitors are finding that the Florida system is failing to meet the stipulations of the settlement decree. Failure to restore at least $29.6-million for case management and community treatment beds would result in the state being held in contempt and increase the likelihood that the court would require immediate action to pay for delinquency services. Foster Children A,B,C,D,E,F v. Chiles - Filed in September, 1991 after the Governor and Cabinet cut program services to foster children, the A-F suit contends that at least $43.4-million in family intervention and foster care services are immediately required to avoid a direct federal takeover of the child welfare system. M.E. v. Chiles - Filed in 1991 to require the provision of therapeutic services for foster children who languish in state care with damaging results for lack of timely, effective mental health, developmental and special education services. The settlement requires $17.8-million in therapeutic services which may include residential and intensive non-residential care. The Governor's "Fair Share" Tax Reform package balances an expansion of sales tax levies on an array of personal and professional services that are currently tax-exempt with a rollback of the state sales tax-rate from 6 to 5-cents. In addition, the plan seeks a constitutional amendment to cut property taxes by 50% for homesteads valued at less than $150,000. If approved by voters, the amount of school tax lost in the rollback would be compensated by an increased state revenue commitment to fund education. f M Other provisions of"Fair Share" would increase the Intangible Tax on stocks and bonds; bring "Chapter S" corporations and limited partnerships under Florida's corporate tax levy; give small businesses a $50-million Worker Compensation tax-relief break; substitute the current per/drink retail alcoholic beverage excise tax with a more easily enforced wholesale tax; and strengthen the tax collection power of the Florida Department of Revenue. The net gain of the "Fair Share" Tax Plan would be $1.3-billion to provide funding for the array of services outlined above. Of course, tax talk in an election year is never friendly and hardly pleasant. No clear-thinking politician will ever embrace a tax package unless there is public mood for supporting the services the money will buy. Over the past two months, the Governor has "talked taxes" in the streets, business clubs, editorial offices and on the airwaves in an attempt to convince a "nothin' doin"' public that investing in success is much better than paying for failure. If polls are any gauge of public attitude, the Governor's "Fair Share" plan is making headway. Comparing polls conducted in March and May, nearly five of six (82%) March respondents opposed new taxes, while the May survey revealed a 53% approval if the tax burden is shifted from average families to the wealthiest Floridians. While the Governor's personal approval ratings remain an unenviable 31%. voters are even less satisfied (19%) with the job performance of the Florida Legislature. In an effort to boost the prospects of the Governor's "Fair Share" plan, the nonpartisan Coalition for Florida's Future, made up of some 140 health, education, social service, law enforcement and environmental interests, is asking Floridians to send signed statements of support. Any advocate who wishes to be counted as a "Fair Share" supporter should send a brief note/postcard including name, address/zip and signature to: Coalition for Florida's Future, 118 1/2 S. Monroe, Tallahassee, Fl. 32301. The Special Session on budget provides advocates with a special opportunity to express themselves on the crises facing Florida's children and families. The Legislature is, as never before, challenged to make critical decisions which will define our state for this next year, and years ahead. It's important to acknowledge that public mood is never in support of paying more for government services which are perceived as inefficient and burdensome. On the other hand, the array of human need for essential prevention, intervention and treatment services has never been greater. While it's easy to criticize the "HRS bureaucracy", how can we deny that drug-exposed infants, maltreated toddlers, emotionally disturbed children or suicidal teenagers should receive the timely care they need to avoid horrible consequences in the future. The key question facing our Legislature is this: Can Florida afford our children? Our kids rank 43rd ona composite of nine key indicators of child health and well-being. The nine states with which we share the bottom ten are all poor states, yet Florida ranks 18th in per capita wealth. The gap between our wealth and the health of our children is the widest in America. Legislators in poor states have an excuse for not investing in the prenatal care, preschool, education and treatment services their children need to be safe, secure and productive. Mississippi legislators have an alibi for their state's neglect - there are few places to turn for investment capital. Florida legislators have no valid alibi for the litany of neglect, the interminable waiting lists, and the demoralized state of parents who see their children's quality of life worsening. Not acting to provide the health care. education and family strengthening services our children need today is passive child abuse. Just as we're obliged to report cases of maltreatment on an individual basis, advocates are likewise obligated to express outrage when large groups of children are neglected by political leaders who choose to turn a deaf ear to their plight. At the core of"advocate" is "voca" - a voice. Not acting to express our heartfelt concern about the conditions of children in our community is inexcusable. Of course we're busy, but let's avoid regret at having not spoken when the time was right. Your active support of children can best be expressed by letting your neighbors, friends, colleagues and political leaders know that we can afford our children. What we cannot afford is the incessant neglect of their needs. Children They're the only future we've got! Special thanks to our financial contributors who see the Center's voice as important to the lives and futures of our children. Please empower others to join you in support of our work. ftQ 5 Jack Levine l dije" o..4 �- 5 �"� Executive Director