I am getting the feeling that the Children's Trust supporters are afraid of any questions at all about the Trust. I don't mean to upset your apple cart. I was undecided about financing the Children's Trust in my endorsement so I tried to open a dialogue, airing my concerns with the PAC. I really didn't have many concerns with the Trust itself. Yes, I don't like that Board Members can get contracts with the Trust but my displeasure is mostly with people/politicians who have under-funded schools and the pillars of the community who don't seem to care as much about that as they care about the Trust.
For instance, it was a poor choice on the part of The Children's Trust to put a picture of Marco Rubio, as a supporter, in the newspaper.
This is the same Marco Rubio who was the Speaker of The House during the massive tax cut to public schools. Is that insane to anyone else but me? It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The School Board and the Superintendent are battling it out and teachers' salaries suffer, but hey, it is okay, Marco supports taxing us for the Trust...just not for schools.
Look, I don't care one way or the other whether you get the $100,000,000.00 (I noticed the percentage increased) Children's Trust. I just don't like the way you are pushing it with photos while our schools are hurting. Put some meat in your ads because we all know the Herald will not give us honest dialogue with Lawrence at the helm of The Children's Trust.
16 comments:
Rubio was a poor choice I agree. Hold that against the advertising company. The Trust does do good work. It is ironic that people will tax themselves but they don't want the political hacks to tax them.
Blame it on the misguided people, the advertising company, the politicians but not the trust.
As someone who is always active in non-profit issues. Let me point out a few things about the Trust:
> There were multiple Trust funded summer camps in South Dade; I visited several them when I was inviting folks to a community meeting in Cutler Bay in June. Whether or not there were enough camps and programs is a function of the tax cuts and breaks. (Ahem, you and I that did that, not the Trust.)
> They ARE the safety net for the schools, state and county. They fund 45,000 slots (give or take a few) in after school care programs (many of which are done in partnership with the school system). Those children would be key latch kids, if wasn’t for the Trust funding.
> You would really have confidence in the school board with that money??!!!!!
> The Trust is funding school health teams in schools...I think around 164 schools this year. This is bringing back skilled care into the school clinics. I feel passionate about this as a mom who had children with asthma. The school staff and volunteers had no clue what constituted an asthmatic emergency. More than once, I told them to call rescue because they would not allow my children to use their medications or because they kept the meds LOCKED in the office, while the kid struggled to breathe.
> I also know from personal experience (by watching non-profit community meetings) that the Trust makes them turn monthly financial accountings and has an online system to check progress. They also go out to their funded non-profits (and any sub-contracted ones) and randomly ask to see folders on the various program “attendees” to check for completeness. They have contract monitors that ATTEND the non-profit board meetings to be sure the money and the activities mesh with the contract (that is people intensive to accomplish). As someone who was a development director for a non-profit, please know that the Trust is unusually strict with audits and monitoring of activities; they do not wait and do it once a grant, it is constantly being done. You have to be organized and have good capacity as a non-profit to keep Trust funding. The Trust will even insist that a non-profit be financially responsible, or they are gone.
> When we, the homeowners voted to double the tax breaks in January, the Trust income dropped due to the drop in property taxes. Then there are the bubble burst issues. The Trust did a mandatory cut across the all of their funded programs (I think it was 22 to 44%, if I remember) and I am not sure that they didn’t suspend new grants for a bit.
> I visited the Trust offices about 3 weeks ago to ask questions about a program. I was shocked to find that while they had a nice view…They had no offices! It is all short fabric or glass walled cubicles. Even Modesto’s office was glassed in on the people side, with concrete I think on the rest. It was a very simple office set-up.
> There had to be a PAC to do a campaign. They are not allowed to do one themselves with Trust funds. While I do not care for all of the folks that they pictured in the campaign, the Trust has to serve and represent themselves to all the community, not just the ones I like or not just the ones who agree with my viewpoint. Indeed, it pains me to see some of those photos, because I believe that some of those folks are representing their own personal agenda, rather than the Trusts. I do not have to like any of them if they are doing the right thing; I am not marrying them! :)
> These Trust folks are serious about what they expect. I admire them, but I am sure glad that they are not monitoring me!
I hope that the public will consider what our county WILL have (a huge gap in children’s services) if we lose the Trust funding and what our kids WON’T have.
PS: I do not have a child or grandchild who benefits from the Trust, and I am NOT employed by them, and I do not depend on them for my living.
Thank you Suzette...what do you think of the ads with Rubio's smiling face?
LOL.
No comment.
I need a press ID before I get into being a political pundit.
Suzette
Suzette above:
yes i would trust the school board more than the Trust.
Remember: the Trust members are appointed. The school board is elected. The School Board has to answer to more people in the community. As bad as the school board can behave: They are elected and that is an important distinction.
I sure would not want to elect trust members. Nothing would get done.
I think most of us just want the best for the kids in the county, any way we can get there, long as it is legal, of course! From what I have seen, the staff is professional and interested in following the guidelines.
The trust scenario works well in other counties, and it was extensively researched prior to being developed here.
We can speculate as to why the PAC chose to put Marco Rubio in the ad. True, he's no friend to the school system. My guess is that his endorsement was used to show that if a big anti-tax guy like Rubio supports The Children's Trust, then it must be a good thing. I think the point of the ads is to show that there is broad and universal bipartisan support for this institution, which is pretty remarkable in such a deeply divided community.
The readers here need to make up their minds.
Regular posts by readers assert that all politicians are self-centered and corrupt - not to be trusted with our tax funds.
Now you can't trust appointees because they're unaccountable and unelected.
Readers don't have to make up their minds. They are what they are and they think what they think at any given moment...that's what makes them Floridians.
In a perfect world elected people should be better. Some people trust the system (how many times have I heard on this blog: "We have to elect good people" or "we have to get good people to run." Those are the people who believe in elected people. I don't think picking and choosing people to be on your board -- mainly if they have money and power -- is much
better.
:) Genius!
Yes. We are what we are. In some cases we are corrupt and in others, we are nice and ethical. Sometimes we try to be both. The last bunch of people are the ones that are hard to read.
I do not think electing a trust would result in a better board. I think you try to get the best people in the world to do the job, not make them jump through hoops to get there to give up their time. Good Staff makes for a good resuls, both in non-profits and in government agencies.
Have you looked at the candidate pool lately? The property appraisers candidates are VERY scary, you ought to meet them if you haven't. The winner will be paid very handsomely. I can't even imagine them sitting on a board or children's trust board, not mention managing the tax department.
Gwen Margolis, is running for PA and she has sat on/been appointed to plenty of Boards and has been elected many times to boot. Others on multiple Boards: Rodney Barreto and Miguel DeGrandy to name two.
As a newcomer to Miami I am surprised that such a large trust is allotted public monies in this county where corruption seems to be widespread. One wonders if the trust is not financing activities that should be financed by the school system or the local government or by private volunteers or nonprofit organizations. The trustees do not seem to respond directly to taxpayers and this lends to suspicions that it is just another way for private interest groups to get hold of our money without the proper oversight.
Yes, Yes! Other states do not have similar institutions because their state government, local governments or school districts do a much better job of providing these services. Sadly, that is not the case in Florida - never has been, never will. That is why there are 8 Children's Services Councils in Florida. The Children's Trust is one of them. Take away The Children's Trust and don't think the other government agencies will do the right thing for children and families. All you do is create a void and turn the clock back on progress.
Sorry guys but the Trust is a joke - they have no oversite, they pay hundreds of thousands of dollary a year in PHD salaries, they have the "so-called: Director of Legislation (on their web site, everything is copied and past from the Legislative sessions) and she pretends she wrote them to the Board at the meetings - and the idiot that runs Communications - They have lied about their programs as they cut back on countless programs after they won the referendum.....They are a total joke - they run around as if their lobbyists for children but they are just hanging on to other peoples coat tails - they have no clue what they are doing - they only care about the money in their pockets - they make fun of the children who are less fortunate than others - make fun of the blind children and this is an organization to help ? This money should be taken away and given to the school board...spend coutless of hundreds of thousand of dollars on television ads and stupid backpacks, lunchboxes and coloring books to give out into the community - they are afraid of their own shadow - they doctor their books real well and cover their tracks - Mr. Lawrence stops any negative posting in the Herald - but in the long run it will come out that they are POND SCUM !!!!!
I agree with May 5, 2009
So many employees that they have attempted to destroy - a certain "Senior Level Executive" is on UTUBE questioning the Cuban embargo sitting on a bar stool at a bar...thats great for children !!! Where are their heads ?
Just concerned why so many employees at The Children's Trust have been previously arrested for major felonies, some have also been on probation during their tenure at the Trust.
They treat the hardworkers like crap and keep the convicts close.....that desnt make sense.....one of the employees drinks on the job and was arrested 8 times for cocaine....thats a crock........
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