Further proving that students will be hurt first in the face of deficits, Gov. George Pataki's office has cut after-school programs across the state. These programs are necessary both in content and in existence - the material learned is just as important as the fact that they give students a place to go after the school day. Cutting programs will cost the state even more money down the road; an investment in youth generally benefits a state's future economy, and the opposite is true for a divestment.
The cuts, made by the Division of Budget, were originally going to only be a scaling back of services, providing half the funding that would be sufficient up until the beginning of next April. However, groups such as the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo received e-mails stating that all of their funding would be cut with only four days notice - something that is illegal under state finance laws.
Aside from keeping tabs on children, after-school programs benefit the surrounding community. Children learn to respect the community, and by curbing these students from illegal activities, residents and businesses can worry less about their safety.
Luckily, many of the programs hit by the budget cuts have alternative emergency funding either from reserves or borrowing. However, accessing money through these methods only temporarily solves funding woes and ultimately indebts the programs. These funding solutions act only as bandages; the gaping wounds inflicted by the state cannot be healed without proper treatment.
These quick-fix solutions to budget shortfalls lack foresight and their execution lacks class. The governor's budget needs major revisions. Actual cures, not temporary solutions, are needed to remedy the problem. Hopefully students and their families can work through these hardships and funding to these after-school programs will return.
It is grossly irresponsible to cut these services, because both sides suffer. This "solution" is the worst kind of budget fix, as it will only compound problems in the future, and the state will pay more money if the students resort to criminal behavior. If the state contributes to its youth instead of taking from them, these children will, in the end, return the favor.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
