Funding for At-Risk Pre-Schoolers Faces Uncertain Future in Lansing

"The state House has restored funding for a program that assists thousands of at-risk preschoolers in Michigan, but a final showdown awaits in the Senate.

On Thursday, the Democratic-led House approved $1 million in funding for the Child Care Expulsion Project. This would preserve an 11-year-old program that offers counseling to families of children at risk of being expelled from child care because of behavioral problems...

..."This is an important program for Michigan," said Jack Kresnak, president and CEO of Michigan's Children, a children's advocacy group. "This is the state's only mental health program that deals with very young children's emotional and mental health issues. It not only helps children, but it helps day care providers how to deal better with children who are not socialized and have trouble adjusting to day care."According to Michigan Children, an estimated 7,000 children under age 5 are expelled from child care centers or preschools in Michigan every year. By contrast, fewer than 2,000 K-12 students are expelled in the state annually."

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100529/NEWS04/5290324/1005/NEWS04/Funding-in-limbo-for-program-that-helps-at-risk-preschoolers

SW Michigan Agency Seeks to Improve the Quality of Life for Those Suffering from Mental Illnesses

Cassopolis Family Clinic, (is) a community health center providing medical care to residents of Cass and southeast Berrien County, (earlier this week) during Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare Network's second annual Mental Health Breakfast to fight stigma and to share recovery stories, the agency awarded ... its community service award.

"Folks with a mental illness or developmental disability tend to have a mortality rate 20 years earlier than the general public," (Woodlands Executive Director Kathy) Boes said. "There are a multitude of factors which come into play, but that's pretty frightening. Often they have a lack of social support and medical insurance that could cover preventive health care. Sometimes they have been institutionalized and mistrust caregivers. The other component that impacts general health is medication. Over many years Cass Family Clinic has supported our consumers. They provide emergency care and preventive care. They're almost a support system for the individuals we serve."

"Mental illness, a developmental disability or substance abuse do not mean the end of a quality life, Woodland Behavioral Healthcare Network Executive Director Kathy Boes told a capacity crowd Tuesday morning at the second annual Mental Health Breakfast at Dowagiac Elks Lodge 889.

“You don’t need to give up on life,” she said at the 2 1/2-hour event. “Recovery is possible. You can get your own apartment and live independently and no longer spend time in a hospital.”

Bob Weber, Woodlands’ case management supervisor, explained the evolution of recovery. He first came to the agency in 1994 and has been back since 2001.

Recovery, a word long associated with treatment for substance abuse and condition disorders, “in a nutshell, it’s a philosophy of how to live your life the best you can, with all your limitations and strengths, so you can be productive and healthy and have relationships.”"

www.dowagiacnews.com/2010/05/24/stories-of-recovery-resilience-and-redemption/

Michigan Cuts Medicaid Dental Care: The Results? Nothing to Smile About

"Last summer the Michigan legislature removed adult dental benefits from Medicaid. That means more than 690 thousand people in Michigan are without dental insurance.

One group is experimenting with different ways to provide dental care to the people most in need.

When someone's smile lights up a room, it can be an indicator of their health and overall wellbeing. The Center for Disease Control says poor dental health contributes to a variety of illnesses, and in more severe cases even death.

That's what happened to Blanche LaVire.

She was a 76 year old woman who died last November in a group home near Alpena. She had infected abscesses in her mouth and needed of oral surgery. The trouble was she relied on Medicaid for her health care and months earlier, Michigan cut funding for all adult dental benefits in an effort to save money.

For many developmentally disabled people like LaVire, Medicaid was their only option for dental coverage."

www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1655074/Michigan.News/Medicaid.Cuts.Mean.Nothing.To.Smile.At

Food Assistance Programs Grow in Affluent Areas of SW Michigan

"The face of poverty is looking less urban as hard times linger in Michigan, state welfare officials say.

St. Joseph and Stevensville (more affluent areas in northern Berrien County) are no exception.

Food assistance requests in the St. Joseph area code rose 49 percent between July 2008 and April 2010, the Michigan Department of Human Services reported. Just over 1,100 families got food assistance in St. Joseph in April.

Stevensville's food assistance roll rose by 28 percent in the same period and saw 700 cases in April.

The number of Medicaid recipients rose to 1,664 in St. Joseph, a 30 percent rise in the period. Stevensville had 907 cases in April, a 28 percent increase.

Poverty "is no longer a problem in just the urban areas," state DHS Director Ismael Ahmed said Monday."

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/05/25/local_news/1449500.txt

Social Security as Poverty Reduction Program

"Social Security has been instrumental in reducing the historically high levels of poverty among U.S. elders. The Census Bureau began measuring poverty in 1959. The share of elders counted as poor fell from 35 percent in that year to 15 percent in 1975, to about 10 percent in 2000, where it has hovered ever since."

"About 39 percent of young men and 31 percent of young women will die or become disabled before they reach retirement age, according to the Social Security actuaries. Social Security’s life and disability insurance helps prevent poverty among families that suffer these losses."

These are just two of the statistics reported in "Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity" at:

www.spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=8c9cf9cc-c5ba-4f1c-8681-a5fee0a364f9

Revenue Consensus Meeting: Highlights

An editorial comment:

I attended and sat through my first Revenue Consensus meeting on Friday. Three hours of economists talking about GDP, CPI, housing starts, and lots of numbers. Did I mention the economists' jokes? (HINT: They aren't funny unless you are an economist.)

After that, the Michigan School Business Officials School Finance committee held a meeting in the House Speaker's Library room. Another hour of folks interpreting what we just heard. Boy, was that fun. Not.

So, here's what I heard:

The State's General Fund for 2009-2010 fiscal year which ends September 30 is in trouble to the tune of about 1/4 billion more than what they thought just this past January. The School Aid Fund is in better shape than projected in January by a similar amount. The economists project that 2010-2011 will be somewhat better, "moderately better" was the phrase used.

Revenues for the State of Michigan are at their lowest levels since the 1960s. The reasons are varied but include that we have had numerous tax cuts and more and more of our economy is exempt from sales tax since few services are taxed. I played on my high school golf team for four years, but don't see the fairness in our taxing a child's back to school clothing, but not taxing golf rounds. In fact, if anything it ought to be the opposite.

And while as a school business official, I appreciate that school revenues look slightly better, I also realize that many of the services that our families receive including mental and medical health, social services, police protection, day care, transportation, etc., are at risk.

So, I think we all should be concerned. No child, no family should slip through the gaps of an already stretched social safety net. My opinion.

Please allow me to expand upon this blog's slogan by stating that we are:

One Michigan, One Community.

Kalamazoo Farmers Market extends reach to low-income shoppers with EBT, WIC programs

Access to fresh foods and healthy groceries has always been a barrier for those with few dollars to spend and limited transportation. The Kalamazoo Farmers Market has been promoting their produce to low-income shoppers who use EBT and WIC Program for the last three years. The results have multiplied each year as more shoppers have become aware of the opportunity:

Fresh, local produce doesn’t have to be a luxury.

Coupon and token systems are available for those on food stamps or those receiving Women, Infant and Children (WIC) assistance to buy produce at farmers markets, giving people a chance to eat the best produce available while supporting local farmers.

The Kalamazoo Farmers Market on Bank Street and the People’s Food Co-Op’s 100-Mile Market both have Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machines so people can purchase produce from local vendors with Bridge Cards.

Elizabeth Forest, board chairwoman of Fair Food Matters and People’s Food Co-Op booth manager at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market, said this will be the third year an EBT machine has been at the Bank Street market. It has been put to good use.

“People tell me every week that I can’t possibly understand how this program, having the EBT available at the farmers market, what it means to their family,” Forest said. “They’re able to stretch their EBT benefits though the month and are able to buy fresh local food.”

Forest said that in its first year, $6,000 in transactions were made by EBT. In the second year, $18,000 in transactions were made.

I can testify myself that I have used EBT at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market a multitude of times and have always been satisfied. There is something about home grown local food that makes it taste better and more enjoyable.

Kalamazoo Farmers Market is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays only in May and November, from June through October, market will be open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; located at 1204 Bank St, Kalamazoo.

Read the full article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/05/kalamazoo_farmers_market_exten.html

Hunger Impacts 17 Million, One in Four Children In America

According to CBS News report entitled "Childhood Hunger In America", nearly 17 million children or about one in four kids in this country are in households which "do not know where their next meal is coming from."

www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6500626n&tag=api

Kalamazoos 'River’s Edge' targeted as residential, commercial district

From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

Reclaimed industrial and commercial property along the Kalamazoo River just northeast of the downtown district has a new name as part of a stepped-up marketing campaign.

The site will now be known as “River’s Edge,” and city officials and commercial real estate experts are touting the location as, “Close to everything. Far from ordinary.”

“Our goal is to create a place where people come to experience art, history, nature and unique housing, entertainment, commercial and workspace options,” said Martha Aills, the city’s special project coordinator.

Land on both sides of the Kalamazoo River on the city’s northeast side was acquired over a series of years, much of it qualifying for brownfield redevelopment incentives to aid with clean-up costs.

Read the full Article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/05/kalamazoo_hopes_new_name_helps.html

Business Leaders Here About Tough Economic Times In Lansing and a Balanced Approach to Solving the Problem

Business Leaders for Michigan once again is calling for a balanced approach to solving the State's fiscal woes. Yesterday, the group and the Center for Michigan held a forum in Lansing.

"Business Leaders for Michigan, (is) a coalition of leading state executives who have issued a state fiscal rescue plan that includes tax increases, spending reforms and outright cuts.

With federal stimulus money drying up and Medicaid and prison costs swallowing half of the state’s general fund budget, the state’s tax base can’t pay for all current services, even with a decade of spending cuts, said (Gary) Olson (director of the non-partisan Senate Fiscal Agency) and other analysts.

Even with a moderate economic upturn, “In a couple years we’re going to be right back trying to cut services or trying to find revenue to pay for it,” warned Mitch Bean, director of the House Fiscal Agency."

Nice to see that influential business leaders believe what makes the most sense is a balanced approach to fiscal reform.

The folks who rely on the State's budget for social services, education, health and other services deserve nothing less.



www.freep.com/article/20100517/NEWS15/100517041/1322/Budget-experts-predict-economic-dire-straits

Van Buren County Advocates for Pre-School Programs Headed to Lansing on May 19

"More than 60 people from Van Buren County will travel to Lansing May 19 to attend the fourth annual "Star Power" on the Capitol lawn.

The event will bring parents and young children together from across the state to advocate for preserving current early childhood programs, according to Margie Murphy, Van Buren County Great Start Collaborative director."

See the Paw Paw News for more details:

www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20428391&BRD=2188&PAG=461&dept_id=560374&rfi=6

One Teacher Among Many Facing Layoff In Michigan This Spring

“I care about these kids here,” he said. “I love seeing that light bulb go off.” But even more so, his “forte,” (Niles High School teacher Ryan) Bigelow said, is building good relationships with his students.

“That’s what I do here,” he said, later adding, “and now that’s being taken away from me.”

As the school year comes to an end, countless teachers throughout the state face being laid off.

Bigelow is one of nine teachers in Niles who were handed that same fate last month.
“It has absolutely broken my heart,” he said.

Teachers (and support staff) throughout Michigan are receiving "pink slips" this year as the State of Michigan faces a deficit in the State's budget, including the School Aid Fund's projected deficit of more than $400 million.

www.nilesstar.com/2010/05/14/teacher-adviser-devastated/

Information on the State's budget woes can be found in a non-partisan Michigan House Fiscal Agency presentation located at:

house.michigan.gov/hfa/PDFs/Michigan%27s%20Economy%20and%20Budget%20presentation%20May%202010.pdf

The May Revenue Consensus Conference which is when the economists will officially project the State's available revenues for the fiscal year 2010-2011 is scheduled for May 21.

Europeans Through African Eyes at Detroit Institute of Arts

One of our State's cultural points of light is the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). From now until early August, the gallery is featuring a unique exhibit called: Through African Eyes. It is an exploration in art from the vantage point of Africans as what they have thought or currently think of Europeans, Westerners. Something that we were probably never taught in American history books.

A brief commercial on YouTube explains the exhibit:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ30H2tEWVM

More information on the DIA and the current exhibit can be found at:

www.dia.org/calendar/exhibition.aspx?id=1866&iid=

Advocates for Mental Health Rally in Lansing

Advocates for mental health recently rallied in Lansing. A cool pictorial article:

www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A3&Dato=20100511&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=5110802&Ref=PH

"As Michigan struggles economically, the state is cutting back on funding for mental health services, even as the need increases - more people are suffering from depression and anxiety because of economic woes, (Michael) Vizena (Executive Director of Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards) said.

"With Michigan's economy, there's a number of families and individuals struggling. It's really important that we continue to get this support," he said.

For fiscal year 2010-11, the state Senate has proposed cutting $58 million from the $287 million currently allocated to mental health services, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency. The legislation is pending in the House.

In fiscal year 2008-09, funding was at $327 million. Cuts since then would amount to a 30 percent reduction in funding if the Senate proposal is approved, Vicena said."

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100512/NEWS01/5120326/Lansing-rally-calls-for-mental-health-funding

State Budget Cuts Loom as Federal Stimulus Dollars Dry Up

"Think states have made deep spending cuts?

You ain't seen nothing yet.States have been struggling with huge budget gaps since 2008, but this year could be worse as federal stimulus funds wind down.

Until now, stimulus money spared governors and state lawmakers from making some of the most brutal budget cuts. But with this lifeline running out, officials are looking at making significant cutbacks to public services, particularly schools and health programs."

money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/news/economy/state_budget_cuts/index.htm

Michigan's Tax Burden Has Fallen Significantly: Senate Fiscal Agency

"It's no secret that the past decade has been a train wreck for Michigan.

But amid all the bad economic news of lost jobs, falling home values and rising costs for college tuition, at least one item isn't weighing as heavily on the family checkbook. Michigan residents are seeing a smaller percentage of their personal income go to state taxes, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA).

The SFA recently reported that "tax burdens have fallen significantly" in the state between 1999 and 2009."

www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/05/michigan_residents_tax_burden.html

Kalamazoo teens volunteer to help new adopt-a-bus-shelter program

It is not uncommon to find graffiti or destruction at a bus stop in any given area. For those who rely on the bus system as their primary mode of transportation, I imagine that can feel simply degrading. Damage to bush shelters make them more vulnerable to the elements and less of a safe haven for soon-to-be passengers.

To fix this problem, Kalamazoo Teens are adopting and beautifying the bus stop shelters all over Kalamazoo. From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

A few weeks ago, somebody shattered the glass at a bus shelter in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood.

It was repaired, and on Wednesday, a group of five Kalamazoo teenagers were vigorously scrubbing the shelter from the benches to the grime-covered roof.

“It’s just good knowing we’re helping somebody out,” said Rickey Pritchett, 16, who swept garbage off the ground with a broom.

The teens were volunteering through a new county adopt-a-bus-shelter program, similar to how others volunteer to pick up trash along highways.

For a few hours a week, volunteers can plant flowers next to bus shelters or shovel snow on sidewalks leading to them in the winter. And there’s plenty of garbage picking and window washing to do.

On Wednesday, the five teens from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo teens worked fast, spraying Windex all over the shelter at Mills and Lake streets as 5 o’clock traffic went past.

“As soon as they get out there, they get into it,” said James Varnesdeel, the teen services director at the Boys and Girls Club.

So far, 10 groups, from teens at the Maple Street YMCA to employees with Comstock Township government and the Family Health Center, are tending to 14 shelters in Kalamazoo County.

“It’s not a huge time commitment, but it’s something people can take pride in,” said Michele McGowen, who helps coordinate the program as a partnership between Friends of Transit for Kalamazoo County, Metro Transit and the Kalamazoo County Transit Authority.

The year-round program, just in its first year, will hopefully grow and get more volunteers, McGowen said.

For more information on how to get involved, call McGowen at 269-345-1516, Ext. 116.

Contact Gabrielle Russon at grusson@kalamazoogazette.com or 269-388-8412.

Read the full article: http://www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/05/volunteers_help_keep_bus_shelt.html

Stereotypes: We All Have Them

Stereotypes. We all have them. One definition of a stereotype is a short cut. A more sociological definition of why there are stereotypes was proposed by professors at Stanford University: "Stereotypes simplify an overly complex environment and create prejudices that function mainly to release frustration and make people feel superior to others."...

... Too often, negative stereotypes are associated with poor people. Words such as lazy or uneducated are used. But I have learned that the only stereotype that can be associated with poor people is that they don't have much money.

heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/05/05/opinion/editorials/1397263.txt

By chosing Kalamazoo Central, Obama sends a strong message towards reform

Yes, as many of you have already heard, President Barack Obama has chosen to speak at Kalamazoo Central's commencement ceremony. This is a time to celebrate the spotlight that his arrival will bring to the positive work in our community.

His choice is significant not only because it highlights a local school in our community, but because of the message it sends of education reform across America. 57 percent of its students are from low-income families and 61 percent are minorities. It was struggling to send its students on to higher education.

Enter the Kalamazoo Promise in 2005: Since then, over 91% of its students have attended college. The Promise is a public-private partnership that took advantages of the resources available in the community to offer disadvantaged children an opportunity to succeed. By doing this, Kalamazoo Central represents a model other struggling urban districts to turn themselves around.

Julie Mack of the Kalamazoo Gazette said it best:

Specialty schools such as Clark and Denver School for Science and Technology “are good for some families,” but won’t solve the problems of American education, Miron said.

That’s what makes K-Central “such a viable model” for the White House competition, he added. “It’s a model for reform that can serve all kids.”

Read the full article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/05/winner_of_president_barack_oba.html

Battle Creek Homeless Man Attacked with Paintball May Lose an Eye

"A Battle Creek man may lose his eye after Battle Creek police said he was shot with paintballs about 1:48 a.m. today.

Steven Soderborg, 54, who police said is homeless, was under the M-66 bridge over Dickman Road when he heard several shots and was hit several times in the face."

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100503/NEWS01/305030003/-1/rss13

www.wwmt.com/articles/margin-1375969-bottom-creek.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Kalamazoo Central: A National model for turning around struggling school districts

The city home to the Kalamazoo Promise has had the opportunity to demonstrate its worth with the Race To The Top High School Commencement Challenge, where the top prize is a commencement speech from President Obama. Last weekend, Western Michigan University just graduated its first Kalamazoo Promise class.

Picking a winner, which the president is expected to do by Tuesday, is likely to boil down to what kind of message Obama wants to send about education reform. From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

Does the White House want to highlight a small, specialty school that produces outstanding results for a self-selecting groups of students?

Or does Obama opt for Kalamazoo Central High School — a traditional school that represents a model for turning around a struggling urban district?

This is going to be an important choice,” said Joseph Kretovics, an education professor at Western Michigan University who has long been involved in school reform. “These are three very different schools with three very different populations.”

White House officials have said they are looking for a school that serves as a national model for preparing students for college.

Here is a breakdown of the competition:

• Kalamazoo Central, which is the only traditional high school in the mix. K-Central’s entry focused on The Kalamazoo Promise, the college scholarship program for Kalamazoo graduates, and the districtwide reform efforts that The Promise has inspired. Since creation of The Promise in 2005, 91 percent of Central graduates have gone on to college.

• Denver School of Science and Technology, a charter school that boasts that 100 percent of its first three graduating classes have been accepted to four-year colleges. The school does not have entrance requirements, but students must take pre-calculus and five science classes over four years, plus complete an internship and a senior project to graduate.

• Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School, a magnet program in Cincinnati Public Schools. The school says 100 percent of the Class of 2010 has been accepted to college. Like the Denver program, Clark has open enrollment but parents and students must sign a contract promising the student will work hard, behave respectfully and perform 200 hours of community service during the four years of high school. Students also are required to take honors courses in core subjects, and undertake a senior project that involves a 30- to 40-page paper.

Whatever happens, we can be proud of the Promise and its affect on reducing poverty in the City of Kalamazoo. More on K Central:

Kalamazoo Central High School

Type of school: One of two traditional high schools in Kalamazoo Public Schools. Enrollment: About 1,700.
Claims to fame: K-Central graduates receive The Kalamazoo Promise, which pays for four years of college tuition.
Entrance requirements: None. By the numbers: The final number in the Class of 2010 has not been determined. Since creation of The Promise in 2005, 91 percent of Central graduates have gone on to college. Demographics: 57 percent are from low-income families; 61 percent are minorities.

Read the Full Article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/05/obama_contest_keys_on_school_r.html

SW Michigan Paper Asks: Are the Poor in America Better Off Today Than Yesterday?

"Are the poor in America better off today than 75 or 100 years ago?

Statistics on the amount of government assistance available to those in need indicate that the social safety net is stronger than ever.

And that need for help may be closer to home than most people think. Figures show that 58 percent of Americans will fall below the poverty line at some time in their lives. Double-digit unemployment rates have brought that reality home to many and have created a need for widespread aid in unemployment benefits and other programs.

But an ambivalence about helping the poor persists in American society. A recent New York Times-CBS poll showed that 38 percent of Americans believe that providing government help to the poor encourages them to stay poor."


- Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Herald Palladium

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/05/02/local_news/1307877.txt