Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / April 25, 1981, edition 1 / Page 13
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TKSMttUTUTJSES-IJ Ar'iv-,,; "x. ' " - . ;' -'7 .r"- ." ' I . XVC-r;::;-- I- is SAT., APM. 23, 1831 Reagan Proposes A "Maybe" For Handicapped Award Returned Ms. Teresa Carpenter (right) of the Village Voice is all smiles April 15 alter learning she's been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing., The prize was originally awarded to Washington Post reporter Ms. Janet Cooke (left, undated photo), who returned the award and resigned her position at the Post, after admitting her prize-winning story about an eight-year- old heroin junkie was not pasea on iact. uri Employment Security Commission Lose 400 Positions With Cuts May By Marian Wright Edelman NNPA News Service There's a new euphemism in Washington plied flexibility. Presi-r dent Reagan wants to abolish the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) and give the states and school districts ' more "flexibility;' The right of - handicapped children to a v. "free, appropriate public education" as stated in the law would be wiped off the books. School districts could still use federal dollars for special educa tion, but they no longer would be required to spend a cent for this pur pose. They would get block grants (a combina tion of federal funds from different programs) in stead, to use for educating the disadvantaged, the handicapped, or for any of several other education programs. Once combin- ed, funds for all these pro grams would be cut by 25 per cent. The theory behind the block grants is that the states and school districts will do a better job of ad ministering the funds because of their greater knowledge of local needs. Even with fewer federal funds, the theory goes, the states will responsibly serve all who need help, while saving money and improving ef f ciency . Will it work? Maybe. But I can't . help remembering what life, was like for handicapped children fewer than ten years ago, when the states had the "flexibility" President Reagan wants to revive. I recall what it was like for one handicapped child in Mississippi before P.L. 94-142 was signed into law. Her name is Mattie T. In 1973, Mattie was twelve years old and had never been in school. She was born with cerebral palsy and for years was unable to walk, but there was nothing crippled about her mind. Though her parents were barely literate, she had taught herself to read. During the few months of tutoring she received in a Ten nessee hospital while recovering from or thopedic surgery, Mattie nade remarkable pro gress, advancing several grade levels. But the public schools refused to enroll her. They said she couldn't climb the stairs. They said she didn't belong in a classroom. They said public schools had no responsibility to educate children like her. So until P.L. 94-142 was passed, she sat at home, lonely and bored, waiting for her brothers and sisters to return home from school. In 1975, there were' close to 2,500 children like Mattie T. who were out of school in Mississippi. But the Matties were only the tip of the iceberg. Below the tip were children like Steven, tens of thousands of them. Compared with Mattie, Steven was "lucky." He finally was allowed to attend schooL after being kept out for three years because of a speech problem. Once in school, his school district put him in a class for trainable mentally retard ed children Icoated across town in a metal trailer. School officials claimed he was a slow learner. His mother told us: "He had learning problems because he was excluded from school until he was nine years old. He has shown me that he can learn and he plays well with other children." When she com plained, the school district gave her two choices: the metal trailer or no school for Steven at all. In 1975, there were ap proximately 26,500 Stevens in Mississippi: children sitting without special help in regular classrooms, or sitting in classes that were downright harmful to their development. Black children were especially vulnerable. They were three and one-half times as likely as white children to be placed in classes for the mentally retarded bas ed solely on outdated IX). tests. Or no tests at all. James, another black child, had serious learning problems from the time he first enrolled in school. After two years in the first grade and three in the se cond, he was told not to return to school because he was "too retarded." No one ever bothered to evaluate James, to find out why he was having trouble learning. But, I hear people say ing, Mississippi is only one state. Aren't other states . more progressive and like ly to do a better job of educating handicapped children? Won't they find a way, even now, with fewer federal restrictions, and more flexibility, to carry out the intent of P.L. 94-142? Maybe. But I know a woman who works on behalf of han dicapped children in Min nesota. And even in her own, relatively progressive state, shijias her doubts. The North Carolina Employment Security Commission may lose more than 400 positions and be forced to close many of its offices across the state if Congress ap proves budgetary cuts pro posed by the Reagan Ad ministration for Fiscal Year 1982. ESC Chairman J.B. Ar cher, in a letter to all com mission employees last week, said the U.S. Senate-approved cuts would mean a loss of ap proximately $5 million in federal funding to the North Carolina agency, which currently operates ninety Job Service offices and employs more than 2,600 people. ESC is com plete! federally funded and a;eceiUnjtfv; monies for its operation's. "If the cuts are sustain ed by Congress, it will mean a reduction qf ap proximately 220 positions in the agency and the great possibility that we will have to close most of our branch offices and even some of our full service local offices," he said in the letter. "Other budget cut proposals relating to CETA, if sustained, could require ESC to eliminate approximately 200 CETA funded positions by September 30, 1981." Archer said the cuts represent a 17.3 per cent reduction in Employment Service Grants-to-States funding and three per cent reduction in funding for the unemployment in surance program. Archer's staff is con ducting a cost effectiveness study on each of the 35 branch of fices and the 55 local of fices that the agency operates to determine which ones may need to be closed if the budget cuts are sustained. 'In some cases, it may cost us more to close a branch office than to leave it open," he said. "A number of factors will be taken into consideration before any final decisions are made about office closings." Archer said the employ ment service function of the commission, more popularly known as Job Service, is not the typical federally-funded pro gram. Unlike many other federal programs which have significantly expand ed over the past decade, the nationwide staffing of Job Service during, the past sixteen years has re mained constant each year while the labor force has grown approximately 42 percent. "The employment ser vice in many parts of our state is the only labor market mediator available , to either employers or workers," Archer said. "It's a free labor exchange where workers can find jobs and employers can find workers.4 With unemployment running about one per cent above last year and projections that it will become worse in the months ahead, we need to be fully staffed to help the unemmployed find jobs." The biggest impact of the proposed cuts to ESC will be felt in the field where employers, job seekers and the unemployed are serviced, he said. He urged employees to cut corners on spending, save on energy, reduce long distance telephone calls and travel where possible. He said he would be meeting with members of the North Carolina Con gressional delegation dur ing the next few weeks to Spell out the severity of the impact of the proposed cuts on the states. ii,' Archer said he felt some rf Inevitable" betause! of the conservative mood of Congress. Therefore, he told the employees, he was asking his staff to prepare "a number of options for us to handle any cuts we might have to bear." He urged those who were planning to retire or leave ESC, service in the coming months to advise their supervisors. He said his staff was preparing a policy to han dle any reduction in force "which will be fair and equitable to all personnel and the agency should we have to take such action." He said he hoped attrition would take care of a large percentage of any person nel reductions if the budgetary cuts go through. "The last people I want to see unemployed are our 'own personnel, and we will do everything possible to place in other jobs those whose positions are affected by any budget cuts," he said in the letter. Archer said the commis sion is "a proud agency and is experienced in handling challenges." He said ESC's employees were hard-working and loyal and he said he felt they would "still maintain a'high level of service to the public and be proud of their work" despite any personnel cutbacks and tightening of funds. In another letter to all the Tar Heel Congres sional members, Archer said the cutback in fun ding for the employment services operations will come at a time of growing, unemployment when "we can least afford it if we are going to try to help keep North Carolinians at work and cut down on the time a person must spend on unemployment. "An adequately staffed Job Service system is essential to meet the needs of new and expanding in dustries," he told the con gressmen. "The proposed Job Service budget cuts will seriously impair our ability jtow provide labor market;" information, counseling and testing ser vices, and perform basic recruitment and referral functions for new and ex panding' ; industries in (Continued On Page 15) V-X V-A J ) kl J 5o D) ILB?0 ?J3G VA0TB Q3JL llfe ITH MIRACLE WHIP Salad Dressing from Kraft tastes nicely spicy on bread. Smooth and easy-spreading. MIRACLE WHIP Salad Dressing's secret blend of herbs and spices adds a fresh, lively, one-of-a-kind flavor to your favorite breads and salads. Roll on tangy good taste with "The Bread Spread? (kraft) ... means more than cooking.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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April 25, 1981, edition 1
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