Dear Governor Perdue:
I cannot imagine the burden you feel with the projected deficit Georgia
faces. You are left with few if any positive choices.
At the (your agency name here), we are feeling the pressure from two
sides. On the one hand, further cuts together with new financial penalties
from DFCS leads us to believe that DFCS does not want nor need private providers
in foster care and it’s time to give up on an extremely successful
program. A 25% cut is drastic. The possibility of a $5,000 fine for
foster parents missing training or their five-year TB shots is mind boggling,
yet this is possible when an agency has four or more out-of-compliance foster
homes in a year.
For the 2009-2010 budget, a 13% cut in Room, Board, and Watchful Oversight will
result in another (the $ amount of the decrease here) decrease and we must decide how we provide
quality services safely or what programs we terminate. These cuts on top
of the (the $ amount of your loss here) loss we had in 2007-08 make it overwhelming in scope.
On the other hand, another problem is becoming overwhelming. Last year, we
had 11 oversight bodies looking at our work. This year, we have 18.
We must dedicate countless staff hours to some matters that are significant, but
others that are very insignificant. It is literally “the many, watching
the few, serve the many.”
What is even more alarming is that many oversight functions are at cross
purposes. It is impossible to satisfy all, so we end up satisfying no one…
and we are one of the best child caring agencies in the entire
Southeast.
Governor … we need some relief, any relief… We pray God’s strength as you
work through these tumultuous times.