Rauner Funding Cut to Pre-School for HIV/AIDS Affected Kids Promises Political Fight Governor Bruce Rauner has trumpeted both his intention to "Shake up Springfield" and to prioritize education, but the budget that he has unveiled may have dented both goals.
Rauner has proposed eliminating a $390,000 Illinois Department of Human Services grant to the Humboldt Park-based Children's Place Association that provides specialized pre-school to about 65 toddlers of low-income Latino, African-American families, who earn on average, $5,000 per year. Approximately 50% of the kids are from HIV/AIDS affected families. The others suffer from a broad range medical disabilities
Insiders were struck by the political tone deafness of the cut given the charged history of the well regarded non-profit and its 13-year struggle to cling to the funding for its pre-school and specialized nursing care for ill children.
Governors George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, and Pat Quinn had all tried - but failed - to eliminate the grant for budgetary reasons because it was easy, low-hanging fruit for budget cutters.
"Children's Place has always had its own line item in the budget, making it a visible target to simply zero out by GOMBy [Governor's Office of Management and Budget]," said a long-time lobbyist familiar with the situation. "That Rauner would take a page from the budget playbook of George, Blagojevich, and Quinn, who were all forced to back-off because of furious Latino lawmakers and the of optics of whacking a pre-school for HIV/AIDS affected toddlers, is stunningly dumb."
The source noted that when Ryan sought to nix the grant in 2002 it was then-State Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano (R-Elmhurst Park) who interceded with the governor to help reverse the decision.
"Skip talked to George and, amidst other political pressure, he backed down and agreed with lawmakers to restore the money in the final budget," the source said.
The insider also said that when Blagojevich tried to eliminate the grant in 2003, Children's Place Association employees and volunteers blitzed Blagojevich's Chicago Ravenswood neighborhood distributing window signs to homeowners, plying flyers to CTA riders at the nearby Francisco train station and to parents at the local park.
"One cheeky volunteer even noticed Patti Blagojevich sitting in the park one afternoon with her kids and quietly approached the First Lady and gave her a flyer," said the source. "The horrible PR and Latino legislators forced Blago to eventually cave."
Still, even success has had its price.
In FY 2001, the state grant totaled $780,000 and although complete elimination has been dodged, each attempt to deep-six the money has whittled away the grant until it reached it current $390,000 in FY 2015.
Cutting that last bit of money struck a nerve for Children's Place Association Executive Director Cathy Krieger.
"There is not an ounce of compassion in a budget that cuts child care and preschool for HIV/AIDS affected toddlers of families struggling with illness and extreme poverty," Krieger told The Insider. "With parents often too sick to teach them their ABC's, they would start off years behind and never be able to compete when they grow up."
In addition, to teaching "ABCs" the Children's Place Association provides, critically, specialized nursing care to ill toddlers at its early learning center.
The illnesses among the kids range broadly. One 3-year old has Erb's Palsy that resulted in loss of use of one arm though surgery and physical therapy have improved function in the child's arm. Another pre-school kid, 4, suffers from autism, epilepsy, developmental delay, and seizures. The school's nurse helps care for a 5-year old who struggles from complications due to HIV/AIDS. And on and on.
The illness of parents also touches their children.
The Children's Place Association provides mental health care and speech therapy to a 5-year old child whose mother is HIV+, blind, and has kidney failure.
Still, Rauner's budget cutters have determined that the Children's Place Association's pre-school education and nursing care fall outside of the governor's "compassion" agenda.
State Senators Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), Willie Delgado (D-Chicago), and State Rep. Cindy Soto (D-Chicago) have taken the lead among Latino lawmakers in the pre-school's multiple battles with the budget ax-wielding governors, but other lawmakers, such as Saviano or State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) have also flown in the past to the pre-school's rescue.
The Children's Place has also drawn the interest and support of State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), chair of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee and State Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), who was struck by the grant's total elimination, a source says.
Martinez, who has criticized Rauner for reducing the ranks of Latinos in top state posts, is looking to reverse the cut to the Children's Place Association because she considers it another assault by the GOP governor on the interests of Chicago's Latino community.
Martinez was already spoiling for a fight before the budget speech.
Rauner has now given her one.
Meanwhile, the governor's list of looming budget battles has just grown longer, tougher, and, likely, louder.
Stay tuned.
davidormsby@davidormsby.com
Rauner has proposed eliminating a $390,000 Illinois Department of Human Services grant to the Humboldt Park-based Children's Place Association that provides specialized pre-school to about 65 toddlers of low-income Latino, African-American families, who earn on average, $5,000 per year. Approximately 50% of the kids are from HIV/AIDS affected families. The others suffer from a broad range medical disabilities
Insiders were struck by the political tone deafness of the cut given the charged history of the well regarded non-profit and its 13-year struggle to cling to the funding for its pre-school and specialized nursing care for ill children.
Governors George Ryan, Rod Blagojevich, and Pat Quinn had all tried - but failed - to eliminate the grant for budgetary reasons because it was easy, low-hanging fruit for budget cutters.
"Children's Place has always had its own line item in the budget, making it a visible target to simply zero out by GOMBy [Governor's Office of Management and Budget]," said a long-time lobbyist familiar with the situation. "That Rauner would take a page from the budget playbook of George, Blagojevich, and Quinn, who were all forced to back-off because of furious Latino lawmakers and the of optics of whacking a pre-school for HIV/AIDS affected toddlers, is stunningly dumb."
The source noted that when Ryan sought to nix the grant in 2002 it was then-State Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano (R-Elmhurst Park) who interceded with the governor to help reverse the decision.
"Skip talked to George and, amidst other political pressure, he backed down and agreed with lawmakers to restore the money in the final budget," the source said.
The insider also said that when Blagojevich tried to eliminate the grant in 2003, Children's Place Association employees and volunteers blitzed Blagojevich's Chicago Ravenswood neighborhood distributing window signs to homeowners, plying flyers to CTA riders at the nearby Francisco train station and to parents at the local park.
"One cheeky volunteer even noticed Patti Blagojevich sitting in the park one afternoon with her kids and quietly approached the First Lady and gave her a flyer," said the source. "The horrible PR and Latino legislators forced Blago to eventually cave."
Still, even success has had its price.
In FY 2001, the state grant totaled $780,000 and although complete elimination has been dodged, each attempt to deep-six the money has whittled away the grant until it reached it current $390,000 in FY 2015.
Cutting that last bit of money struck a nerve for Children's Place Association Executive Director Cathy Krieger.
"There is not an ounce of compassion in a budget that cuts child care and preschool for HIV/AIDS affected toddlers of families struggling with illness and extreme poverty," Krieger told The Insider. "With parents often too sick to teach them their ABC's, they would start off years behind and never be able to compete when they grow up."
In addition, to teaching "ABCs" the Children's Place Association provides, critically, specialized nursing care to ill toddlers at its early learning center.
The illnesses among the kids range broadly. One 3-year old has Erb's Palsy that resulted in loss of use of one arm though surgery and physical therapy have improved function in the child's arm. Another pre-school kid, 4, suffers from autism, epilepsy, developmental delay, and seizures. The school's nurse helps care for a 5-year old who struggles from complications due to HIV/AIDS. And on and on.
The illness of parents also touches their children.
The Children's Place Association provides mental health care and speech therapy to a 5-year old child whose mother is HIV+, blind, and has kidney failure.
Still, Rauner's budget cutters have determined that the Children's Place Association's pre-school education and nursing care fall outside of the governor's "compassion" agenda.
State Senators Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), Willie Delgado (D-Chicago), and State Rep. Cindy Soto (D-Chicago) have taken the lead among Latino lawmakers in the pre-school's multiple battles with the budget ax-wielding governors, but other lawmakers, such as Saviano or State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) have also flown in the past to the pre-school's rescue.
The Children's Place has also drawn the interest and support of State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), chair of the House Human Services Appropriations Committee and State Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), who was struck by the grant's total elimination, a source says.
Martinez, who has criticized Rauner for reducing the ranks of Latinos in top state posts, is looking to reverse the cut to the Children's Place Association because she considers it another assault by the GOP governor on the interests of Chicago's Latino community.
Martinez was already spoiling for a fight before the budget speech.
Rauner has now given her one.
Meanwhile, the governor's list of looming budget battles has just grown longer, tougher, and, likely, louder.
Stay tuned.
davidormsby@davidormsby.com
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