As promised at the outset of this year the Bradford County Commissioners’ Office has engaged in an in depth study of the Bradford County Daycare operation. The goal of the study was to gain a greater understanding of the operation in regards to both the current, historical and future financial implications of running the program. It was another important aspect of the study to look at the current child care needs of the county especially in the local areas our daycares are currently serving. Furthermore, options for the future operation of the program have been studied. We have been engaged in many months of research, analysis, and we reviewed different restructuring models.
The facts and numbers gathered throughout our efforts are final and accurate. They have been checked, double checked and checked again. As commissioners we have met weekly with the human services director discussing all the various aspects of this and receiving information that he has gathered over the course of many months. We have met with the independent auditors in Williamsport to discuss the financial history, current financial condition and the future financial implications of the program.
The study has revealed some very serious facts regarding the financial condition of the daycare operation as a whole. After careful study and verification with the county’s independent auditors Bradford County has, for many years, been carrying forward the debt of the daycare year after year. This has happened because the daycare has continually lost more than it was budgeted to lose and in some years those losses were not made whole and instead they were carried forward into the next year as a debt.
This has created a situation that has placed significant burden on the taxpayers’ general fund over the years. In fact in 2007 the county transferred over $592,000 to the daycare from the taxpayers’ general fund to keep the program financially viable.
Additionally, the all but certain future state funding cuts the county will receive this summer as well as the current financial climate has made a decision to remedy any financial issues more than a necessity at this point. It is apparent and unfortunate that budget proposals at the state level will have a negative effect on local property taxpayers.
After all the research it is apparent that there is no way to make the program as a whole financially viable without some hard decisions that will require severe inconveniences for parents and even more severe hardships for some Bradford County employees.
After careful study it is necessary to close the South Towanda daycare facility effective July 3, 2009. This center is expected to lose nearly $90,000 in 2009 alone. It has been determined there is little that can be done to manage the current and future deficit considering the staffing required, the building it is in and the payer mix of this particular facility. Enrollment has been in decline for a number of years; however operational costs continue to rise. The facility is licensed at a capacity of 81 however it currently serves 54 participants. There are nine full time and eleven part time staff members who will be laid-off at the time of the closing.
The Bradford County Child Care Information System has confirmed there are openings in licensed day care centers in the local area to be able to accommodate many of the children currently served by the facility. Bradford County Human Services will be directed to assist parents in every way possible in the transition from the Towanda Day Care Center to their new child care providers.
In regards to the other facilities operated by Bradford County which include the Athens School age program, the Sayre Day Care Center, Towanda School Age Program they will continue to operate as normal as they are capable of collectively breaking even.
As a commissioner I have been involved in many tough decisions, all of which pale in comparison to this decision. Not one decision or situation has stirred as many of my own emotions as this. People should know that this is not easy for anyone involved in this process. I would like to apologize in advance to the inconveniences those parents and their children will go through. Also to those employees whom will be laid off, I offer my sincerest apologies and best wishes.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Statement on Closing the South Towanda Daycare Facility
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5 comments:
Why are the commissioners laying people off from the daycare program but hiring in other departments? Wouldn't good management include a plan to absorb the staff into other programs before hiring new employees? Will you and the other commissioners committ to re-hiring those laid off employees before hiring anyone else into the county?
In a county that is changing drastically, taking resources away from the citizens that are struggling seems like a bad decision. We are seeing a rise in violent crime, including an armed robbery in Towanda, increases in poverty and homelessness and horrible loss of employment and opportunity for our citizens. Gas drilling is not bringing the promised bushels of jobs to our citizens even though a small percentage are making money from leasing operations and housing operations. Instead the many blue collar families are being pushed into the margins by school districts consistently raising school property taxes and the already marginalized citizens are being pushed farther into poverty while wealthy gas drillers are taking more and more control over our county and running roughshod over our environment and infrastructure.
Currently our CYS agency has over 200 children in placement through the juvenile and delinquency court. This number is astronomical considering that Luzerne county (home of the city of Wilkes Barre) has under 50 children in placement. Most of these children's placement is paid for by Medicaid but the county has to pay the rest. The county requires parents to pay the total cost of care, which often the county will not see for decades. To add to this, the state Department of Public Welfare through it's proxy , the managed care agency Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, is planning on cutting Medicaid reimbursement for children in placement by 50% staring July 1, 2009. This means that if the juvenile court keeps all these children in placement when Medicaid stops paying, the county will have to pay for all of it, and the families will have to pay it back through collection which the county will not see for decades. How will the loss of daycare affect the ability of child welfare to not only reduce the number of children in placement but to prevent that number from rising? I assume that was factored into any financial impact analysis of closing this daycare program.
In addition, our county has the largest number of adults currently placed in the Clarks Summit State Mental Hospital. Far more than the state allots for our county. Another sign that our human service system is overwhelmed and undermanned.
I am not advocating for spending money the county doesn’t have or for raising taxes. In fact there are many ways to improve services and efficiency that actually reduce operational costs. Have the commissioners explored any of these options before cutting programs? After all cutting programs is the last option to take. Would the commissioners allow these internal and external audit reports to be made public? I would like to see them.
The Daycare Program is a program that was atleast providing an important service. What about non-productive operations? For example, the CYS administrator has more education and experience than the Human Service Director. The MH Department director has more education and experience the Human Service Director. The MR Department director has more education and experience than the Human Service Director. So why is the county paying more than $60,000 per year for a Human Service Director anyway? Considering that the when the former director Bill Lavelle resigned the agency department directors just reported directly to the commissioners with no ill effects to the agency or it's services. Couldn’t we put more money into the children in our county if we cut out the top heavy management structure in the human services agency?
Employees have the opportunity to apply for any open postions within the county and depending on thier qualifications they can be hired. It was well explained why the daycare at South Towanda had to close and as for hiring into other departments, depending on the department, we may need to fill slots to get work done that needs to be done. Simply "absorbing employees" may sound like a great idea but in the reality of the county's very diverse employment opportunites, it is much more complex. For instance a daycare worker may not have the experience, credentials or desire to be instantly transfered into a postion working in some other department such as, say, a Drug and Alcohol, CYS or Mental Health caseworker. There may be those that are and if they apply for any position in another department I am confident they would be seriously considered by that department and recommended to the commissioners for hire accordingly. As for the other post which is very in depth, I will draft some thoughts when I get some time this weekend. I appreciate your patience. Thanks.
Mark,
Very good decision on the part of the BC commissioners and for the taxpayers. This might also be an opportunity for a young entrepreneur to start a day-care business in Bradford County.
Matt,
There is not a loss of daycare, but a loss of one particular facility. Daycare in our county did not disappear with this decision. There are daycares available to parents in the Towanda region of the county. It is a county facility that had to close because we can not afford to keep it open. However, the daycare program is still in existance where it seems to be the most necessary and cost effective for the county, in fact, the school age program is still operating in Towanda. I am aware of all the social and economic issues and their effects on our county. As a Commissioner a balance must be struck between the services we offer and what we can expect the people of this county to pay for through raised taxes. I do not believe the people of the county need their taxes raised again and therefore we have to make some tough decisions to find that balance.
You are more than welcome to any county documentation as any citizen is entitled to them.
As to your assertion that we can run human services from the commissioners office, I couldn't disagree more. Someone in an adminstrative role overseeing the operation is a must. I am sure as a former emloyee, who recently resigned, you certainly have opinions on just about everything. However, we are, I am sure, coming from different perspectives on the matter and could debate issues all day long. But the fact is, as a commissioner, it is working and improving and that is welcome progress.
Thanks,
Mark
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