Too Critical to Cut: Part 2

 in my column, highlighting the benefits it provides to families in the community, especially families with special needs children.

About a week ago, I talked with Barb Ehlen, the coordinator for Mehlville PAT to learn more about the cuts that the district's program has received and how they are managing under their new budget.

The State of Missouri cut funding for PAT several times over the last two years. During the 2008-09 school year, the statewide funding for the program was $34,304,636. After a budget cut and two expenditure reductions during the 2009-10 school year, total funding for PAT was reduced to $23,918,098.

For the current school year, the budget for PAT is only $13,000,000. The budget for the 2011-12 school year has been passed by both the House and Senate and is waiting for approval by Gov. Jay Nixon. The proposed amount for next year is $16,150,000.

The reduction in funding for PAT has significantly impacted the services that Mehlville is able to provide. The majority of funds are directed to special needs families, leaving many families with minimal services.

Visits to non-special needs families were limited to one developmental screening and one regular home visit. In prior years, families received four or five visits per year.  

In addition, the program is being forced to look for new ways to fund its services. While the Mehlville School District provided 25 percent of PAT’s funding in the 2008-09 school year, in 2010-11, the district provided 50 percent of the funding. Mehlville PAT also received a special grant from St. Anthony’s Medical Center that provided $3,000 in funding for 17 of the 22 group meetings held by the district.  

Mehlville PAT currently has 444 families on the waiting list, with most of these families having children between the ages of 3 and 5. This is the first year that the program has been forced to put families on a waiting list. In total, during the current school year, PAT served 229 fewer families than in the 2009-2010 school year. As with most budget reductions of this size, the PAT staff has been forced to eliminate positions, including administrative roles and parent educators.

When the parent educators returned for the school year in August 2010, there were four fewer in their numbers and the only full-time parent educator had been reduced to part-time.

In the 2011-2012 school year, Ehlen will juggle multiple roles as she serves as coordinator for only half her time and will spend the rest of her time as a parent educator. The secretary’s hours will also be reduced by 21 percent. My family has seen a major difference in services. We have gone from four or five visits per year for our children through preschool years to only one or two visits per year.

While my baby still receives visits, my 4-year-old is considered to be on the waiting list because of the budget cuts. My kids used to yell and cheer when they saw Linda Bersett, our first parent educator coming to our door for a visit. With only two visits this school year, they haven’t had much chance to get to know our current parent educator, Amy Frederich.

Ehlen mentioned that some of the differences in the program aren’t quantifiably measurable, but are felt by both parents and the parent educators. While I often picked up my phone to call Bersett for advice because of the relationship that developed in my living room, the current offerings of the program don’t help foster that kind of trust built between parent educator and parent.

Another challenge for Mehlville PAT is keeping legislators in the loop about what PAT does in the community and how it is helping families connect with each other and the extra services they may need. If you would like to contact your representative and tell them about what PAT has done for your family, please write them at their email addresses listed below.

Senatorial District 001—Senator Jim Lembke: jlembke@senate.mo.gov

House District 100—Representative Marsha Haefner: Marsha.Haefner@house.mo.gov

House District 97—Representative Gary Fuhr: Gary.Fuhr@house.mo.gov

House District 85—Representative Cloria Brown: Cloria.Brown@house.mo.gov