Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I believe that would be found amongst Thomas Jefferson's writings . . .
Okay, guys and gals, sometimes I am clueless - we all know that. But I am really getting frustrated.
No one will help me at either the city or county.
I don't want to see FY 2010's budget. I want to see the proposed budget for FY 2010-2011, right?
So - WHERE IS IT?
ani - I know you're not a big fan of the Charlotte Observer, but I bet there's someone there with the kind of information you are seeking. They always seem to come up with numbers and they must be getting them from somewhere or have access to a person in the know!
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,670,113 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEmissary
Yeah - After I saw the remarks about the well water and septic, I figured it couldn't be the Harrison in Hudson County! Let's hope that the $3.993 per assessed $100 rate never makes it to NC anytime soon!
SB - Like you, it saddens me to see libraries either shut down or reducing their hours in a time when their services are needed the most! But education is another story. I grew up in schools where a class size of 30 to 35 was the norm and teacher's aides were unheard of, and most of us baby boomers turned out O.K.! It would have been nice to have much smaller classes then, but are they necessary or a luxury in these times? Food for thought!
Emissary, I'm also a baby boomer. In Michigan, my class ranged from 15 - 20, but there were 2 grades per room. In South Jersey, it was 30 - 35 (and no one had heard of an aide) Most kids learn just fine in that environment.
If that Harrison Twp is the one in Gloucester County, it could rival about any rural community in NC to be poster child for being "the sticks". I've been there.
I would certainly think that Mecklenburg County could find something to eliminate to help libraries. They are pretty essential, as Ani said.
Okay. Here is a lovely expense from the only budget anyone seems to be willing to give me (the current one).
$2,227,641 - for Youthful Offenders/Vocational Academy (SHF)
What the hell is that?
They help them get their GED?
It is more important to give $2M to criminals who could have gotten their high school degree when they were SUPPOSED to get it (but they chose to be gang banging instead) than it is to keep libraries open? Libraries - the one place at risk kids can go after school to keep themselves out of neighborhood trouble?
This makes my head spin.
What is that program all about - can't wait to see who came up with it and who administers it.
I would ask about recidivism rates but folks lie . . . so what's the use.
NEW PROGRAM BRINGS TEAM APPROACH TO HELP JAILED YOUTH WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
February 12, 2008
Charlotte, NC – A new program designed to identify and treat the mental health concerns of male youths involved in the justice system, or already serving jail time, shows promise in its first six months, supporters say.
Mecklenburg County Jail Services Wellness Program is an initiative that began in July 2007 as part of MeckCARES, a community-based system of care for youth and families. The aim is to get the youths at Mecklenburg County Jail North the mental health and substance abuse treatment they need, help prevent their return to jail, and help families cope with their return home.
“If we are at all concerned about community safety, the challenges facing youth today, and the futures of our young people and their impact on ours, it is imperative that we be responsive to the needs of youth and their families who have mental health and substance abuse concerns,” Kimm Campbell, MeckCARES clinical director, said.
Supporters say the number of youths who enter the criminal justice system with unidentified or untreated mental health and substance abuse concerns is startling. When the youths do not get the help they need, the chances of their returning to jail increase. Of the 97 referrals to the program since July, the 16- and 17-year-olds had been incarcerated an average 2.3 times, with the range being one to 10 times. The goals of JSWP include:
Identify youth that need mental health services
Establish family service partnership before release
Reduce likelihood of repeated incarceration
Stabilize mental health and prepare family for the youth’s return home.
The 16- and 17-year-olds referred to the program by case managers at Mecklenburg County Jail North receive services through a team effort of several agencies. County, state and federal funds help to finance the program. In addition to MeckCARES, collaborating partners include: Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office Youthful Offender Program; Family Preservation Services; Alexander Youth Network, Teen Health Connection; Energy Committed to Offenders; Substance Abuse Prevention Services and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
In the next six months, the program plans to expand its services to include males ages 10 to 17.
“For a significant number of youth, we may be able to increase the likelihood that they will have their mental health and substance abuse needs managed to the extent that they can become functioning and contributing members of our community, which leads to an increased level of community safety for all of us,” Campbell said.
Whatever it is we are doing for at-risk children doesn't seem to be making a hill of beans difference.
Did you know that the bulk of lottery money goes to at risk children?
How much money do we spend on at risk children and still have a drop out rate that makes one's head spin - and juvvie crime that is past disturbing.
I wanna see how much money is spent in this county trying to either keep kids from turning out to be miscreants, trying to keep them from dropping out of school, trying to keep them from becoming a repeat offender, jailing them 30 times b/f they are 25 . . . Dern.
Then you add all the non-profit and United Way money into that effort . . .
Just how many millions of dollars are we spending on at risk, under performing kids and juvenile delinquents and underage repeat offenders? And the results are STILL THIS DISMAL???
Kids, we can fuss and fight and pick things we personally do not mind cutting, but I would ask you to do one thing. Remember in November and let's take our government back.
It should be by the people, and for the people, WE pay for it.
There is no 'government money', it's OUR money.
Have they cut their own pay checks? And/or operating expenses? Lets start there..
I personally think we need to do things for children that are headed the wrong direction. But I don't think we need bike lanes and cross walks added in places where we have been able to live just fine without them. And side walks.. and fancy-er landscape/hard scape/street signs/etc...
Just patch up what we have and hunker down...
Everyone on the state, county, and city payroll making over 30-35k a year should take a percentage pay cut.
Have they cut their own pay checks? And/or operating expenses? Lets start there..
I personally think we need to do things for children that are headed the wrong direction. But I don't think we need bike lanes and cross walks added in places where we have been able to live just fine without them. And side walks.. and fancy-er landscape/hard scape/street signs/etc...
Just patch up what we have and hunker down...
Everyone on the state, county, and city payroll making over 30-35k a year should take a percentage pay cut.
Panthers - I agree that we need to do something for kids heading in the wrong direction, but we need to put this big a chunk to something when it obviously is not working?
I will do all I can to find all the many and varied programs in this county for at risk kids. When I add up the totals, I expect you will have the same reaction as me - if we are spending this much money - why are we not seeing some kind of result?
I just found $18M in CPCC's budget for a Basic Skills Literacy Center. Folks have a diploma to get into college and still need LITERACY TRAINING? If folks are ILLITERATE when they get out of high school, we are responsible for providing them LITERACY TRAINING so they can get higher education?
WHY?
If we are sinking a bazillion dollars into CMS and we are still turning out folks who cannot READ (even with a diploma) or who get a GED and still cannot WRITE . . . I mean . . . doesn't this bother anyone else?
So since they can't read and/or write, we build a Literacy Center at our community college so we can get 'em ready for college. WHY? Getting a college education is a RIGHT? And one that our tax dollars should fund?
And if the Center is for helping folks finish their high school degree . . . we can't get it right, despite all the funding at CMS, and so we have to create YET ANOTHER budget item somewhere else in the county so folks can READ AND WRITE?
And if this is b/c we have so many immigrants here . . . since when was it our responsibility as taxpayers to make sure immigrants (illegal OR legal) can read and write English? You think if I moved to Germany anyone is gonna pay for me to take German lessons? Uhhhhh. NO!
Panthers - I agree that we need to do something for kids heading in the wrong direction, but we need to put this big a chunk to something when it obviously is not working?
I will do all I can to find all the many and varied programs in this county for at risk kids. When I add up the totals, I expect you will have the same reaction as me - if we are spending this much money - why are we not seeing some kind of result?
I just found $18M in CPCC's budget for a Basic Skills Literacy Center. Folks have a diploma to get into college and still need LITERACY TRAINING? If folks are ILLITERATE when they get out of high school, we are responsible for providing them LITERACY TRAINING so they can get higher education?
WHY?
If we are sinking a bazillion dollars into CMS and we are still turning out folks who cannot READ (even with a diploma) or who get a GED and still cannot WRITE . . . I mean . . . doesn't this bother anyone else?
So since they can't read and/or write, we build a Literacy Center at our community college so we can get 'em ready for college. WHY? Getting a college education is a RIGHT? And one that our tax dollars should fund?
And if the Center is for helping folks finish their high school degree . . . we can't get it right, despite all the funding at CMS, and so we have to create YET ANOTHER budget item somewhere else in the county so folks can READ AND WRITE?
And if this is b/c we have so many immigrants here . . . since when was it our responsibility as taxpayers to make sure immigrants (illegal OR legal) can read and write English? You think if I moved to Germany anyone is gonna pay for me to take German lessons? Uhhhhh. NO!
I'm not sure the current programs aren't working to some extent, do you have an idea what the outcome would be without them? I don't think you have anything to compare. at least not apples to apples.
Also, not sure the literacy program you speak of is only for high school grads. But even if it is, if we have grads that can't read, they need to be taught.
The biggest problem with the education system these days is that it's "free". If it wasn't "free" to everyone, would children neglect their education as much?
The problem with education can't be fixed by reducing the expense. We should first figure how to motivate the children to learn. De-funding a broken system isn't the answer. It has to be fixed.. shuffle the money around in a manner that prompts people to figure it out.
In my mind, if we striped the system back down to the bare bones education and then gave everyone a college education with all the money you save, with the opportunity to lose that college education money if you do poorly in school, then there would be motivation for kids to do well, so they don't lose something...
But that's a different subject really...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In South Jersey, it was 30 - 35 (and no one had heard of an aide) Most kids learn just fine in that environment.
