Archive: Around Town

Lansing youth Services provides a wealth of programs for Lansing middle schoolers, and the 'High School Helpers' youth employment program in the high school.  But with Tompkins County Administrator Joe Mareane recommending cutting the county's youth employment program to the tune of $45,000 in savings for 2010, Lansing's program stands to lose $4,500.  That loss threatens the existance of the program, or at best will significantly reduce the number of students it can employ.

When Lansing Community Council President Ed LaVigne heard about the budget cut he jumped in to try to replace some of the shortfall.  He has organized a chicken barbecue this Saturday (October 3rd) to raise money for the program.  Volunteers from Youth Services will be in front of Lansing Town Hall to sell the chicken.

Schoffel hopes that with local fund raising that program cuts won't have to be too severe.  On learning about the proposed county budget cut representatives approached the town to ask for 1/3 of the $4,500.  They proposed to ask the Lansing School District for another third, and raise the rest of the money with fundraisers.  The Town, which already provides matching funds for county and state youth services funding, and which has also been tightening its belt as it begins to cobble together next year's budget, said no.

'Lansing High School Helpers' prepares kids for the workplace by teaching them skills needed to land a job, and to keep jobs when they get them.  Employment isn't guaranteed, and hours may be as few as two or three per week.  Last year the program employed 59 Lansing students.


"The goal of the program is to teach job-readiness skills and to provide positive, paid employment for participants," says Program Manager Dawn Kleeschulte.  Most jobs are located within the Lansing schools or are on a regular bus route so that transportation is not a barrier for non-driving students and work hours don't conflict with other activities.  Participants are required to attend monthly meetings to work on basic employment skills such as filling out job applications, interviewing, attendance, attitude and communication."

Cooperative Extension is the contract agency the County employs to rural administer youth services programs.  Schoffel works as a liaison and lends support and resources to the various towns' youth services.  By centralizing the administration of the programs, individual youth programs are able to share resources and training, as well as ideas for programs.  While some programs like the popular 'Primitive Pursuits' are sub-contracted, in-house Program Managers like Kleeschulte at Lansing High School and Isabel Bazaldua at Lansing Middle School provide many programs of high value and low cost.

5% of Bazaldua's budget is also on the chopping block.  All county departments were asked to look at a 6.25% cut for next year's budget.  County Youth Services Department  had some extra in reserves, which brought that down to just over 5%, which is being passed down to each of the rural programs.

Bazaldua offers approximately 20 programs per year, including everything from Primative Pursuits to Weird Science, Website Wizards, Baby-sitter trancing, and Artists-R-Us.  She also offers special outreach events such as activities at Lansing Harbor Festival, an annual Fishing Derby, a trip to Roseland Water Park, an annual Spaghetti Supper, summer movies, and a Relay For Life team.  In 2008 her programs served 137 individual children with many signing up for multiple programs.  The cut will mean she will offer fewer programs, or less expensive ones.


"It means some belt tightening," Schoffel explains.  "Luckily Isabel and our other program managers are very talented, charismatic people.  They can run meaningful programs without spending a lot of money.  But when you have something that's as popular as 'Primitive Pursuits' you want to maintain as much of that as you can.  It's attracted huge numbers of kids."

Schoffel credits the members of the Lansing Youth Commission for the community's robust support and participation in youth services.  Founded in 1987, the commission joined the County program in the early 1990s.  She singles out founding members Barbara Barry, Carol Willard, and Andra Benson, who are active leaders on the commission to this day.  The Youth Commission solicits donations and holds fundraisers so that Lansing can over-match county and state funding in order to provide more programs.  Most programs are offered for free.  92% of the budget is used directly for programs with only 8% spent on administrative costs.

While the County budget has not yet been finalized it appears unlikely that the youth employment money will be restored.  That puts more pressure on the Lansing youth Service Commission to raise a large chunk of money.  They have been trying to be proactive in approaching the Town and School District, and Schoffel says that the barbecue tomorrow will go a long way toward jumpstarting fundraising to save 'High School Helpers' in Lansing.

"It was just great to have Ed step up and have this happen so fast," says Rural Youth Services Coordinator Linda Schoffel.  "He said to me on the phone, 'When you prune it usually grows back stronger.'  That's really such a nice way to look at the world!"

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