NICKELS PROPOSES $31-MILLION BUDGET FOR KIDS

Following through on a commitment to do better for Seattle’s children, Mayor Greg Nickels announced that he’s proposing a $31-million Children’s Budget for 2005. It invests early in the lives of children to prevent problems down the road. The budget announcement coincided with the release of the third-annual State of Children and Youth in Seattle Report, which clearly illustrates a persistent and systemic problem – when it comes to kids, there are two Seattles: one where kids are on track to succeed, and one where they’re not. Data in the 2004 report show that compared to children and youth living in north Seattle, those living in southeast and southwest Seattle tend to:experience more poverty, live in single-parent households, achieve at lower levels academically, andhave higher teen birth rates. “I’m disturbed by the trends highlighted in this report,” Nickels said. “One Seattle has children who are healthy, and supported inside and outside of school. They are likely to be successful in school and get good jobs. The other Seattle has children who are not ready to learn when they enter school or are left to their own devices after school. They are more likely to do poorly on standardized tests, fail in class, drop out, get pregnant or get caught up in addiction or crime. Clearly this has to change. Clearly we have to do more for all of our kids.” The mayor’s feels that his proposed 2005-2006 Children’s Budget does just that. “We told the voters if they did their part by passing the Families and Education Levy, we’d do ours,” Nickels said. “The voters came through and we thank them. Now we’re following through on our commitments. We’re combining levy and General Fund dollars to make significant investments in the children of our city. “Despite the recession, we’re increasing investments by $4 million for a total of $31 million next year,” said Nickels. “This is the right strategy for making a difference in the lives of Seattle’s children. We’re focusing less on intervention and more on prevention. By increasing investments in approaches proven to prevent problems, such as early-learning programs and out-of-school activities, we avoid higher costs down the road.” Over the last two years, Seattle has developed a results-oriented investment strategy for funding programs for children and youth. The goals of this effort, called the Children’s Budget, are to improve school readiness, academic achievement, and health for all children and youth, with particular emphasis on reducing disproportionate outcomes among children by race and income level. In the mayor’s 2005-2006 proposed budget, two funding sources support the Children’s Budget: the General Fund, and the Families and Education Levy. In developing the 2005-2006 Children’s Budget, city officials carefully evaluated all of the city’s investments in kids against how well they would reduce gaps in achievement and health. They prioritized funding within five service categories proven to address the problems: early learning; family support and involvement; out-of-school time; support for high-risk middle- and high-school-age youth; and student health. Examples of such services include: childcare and preschool for low-income children to help them prepare for school; family centers, which teach parents how to assist their children in school; services for immigrants and refugees; after-school programs for middle-school students; youth-employment programs; summer camp for low-income children; and teen pregnancy prevention. The Children’s Budget was carefully crafted to ensure levy dollars complement General Fund investments. Families and Education Levy dollars will fund programs which demonstrate they improve academic performance, while General Fund dollars will support more broadly focused programs serving children and families but not necessarily tied specifically to academic performance. “My proposed Children’s Budget, taken together with the recent renewal of the Families and Education Levy, is good news for Seattle’s children,” Nickels said. “Even during a recession, we’re moving forward. We clearly have a lot of work to do but now the levy and General Fund are aligned with agreed-upon priorities. Progress will be measured using performance and accountability standards. All of this serves to bring real change in the lives of Seattle’s children.”