One program that will feel Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s $74 million cut from the state’s budget will be Parents As Teachers (PAT).
The $2 million cut to the Parents as Teachers program was announced Tuesday, amid declining state revenues.
After hearing about the cuts, a local superintendent of schools gave his response.
“My only thing is that we have been a leader in Parents As Teachers in our district, ours is one of the oldest Parents As Teachers organizations in the state,” said Dr. Richard Page, superintendent of Neosho R-5 School District. “It has been a vital program for us, but I understand — at the state level — they are looking at K-12 education as being the first and foremost priority.”
The Neosho School District has had a PAT program since 1984.
Parents As Teachers uses certified educators, who train parents to educate children before they are able to attend kindergarten. The educators consult with parents through personal visits and provide health screenings for the children. The program, based in St. Louis, began in Missouri in the 1970s, as a pilot plan and has spread to all 50 states. Nationwide, the program assists more than 330,000 children.
“I can’t do anything, but I regret to see it happen, but I understand the reasoning to some degree,” Page said. “It is going to be a detriment for our program and all programs around the state because of the emphasis or the importance that we know that PAT provides for students coming into school and readiness of students when they enter kindergarten. So it is one of those things that we hate to see, but this cut, or reduction in funding, for special programs is probably going to be the first of many to come in other areas as well.”
The largest cuts made Tuesday were $24 million for rural Broadband Internet and $29 million to improve a radio system used by emergency responders. The governor proposed cutting another 120 state government positions and cutting spending on equipment that would save almost $3 million. The governor’s budget office did not have further details about from where those cuts would be made and how many state workers would lose jobs.
The state Administration Office reported that state revenue for the budget year starting July 1 is down by more than 12.5 percent from last year.
Individual income tax collections are down by more than 11 percent from 2009, sales taxes are down more than 7 percent and corporate income taxes are down more than 13 percent. Budget leaders in the Legislature and Nixon’s office had anticipated that Missouri’s revenue would fall by 6.4 percent this year. But that prediction is looking less likely.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
