Communities Predict Teachers, Prison Guards, Elderly Will Feel Pain of Sequester Cuts
A look at where communities expect to be most burdered by sequestration.
Feb. 28, 2013 -- intro: The automatic budget cuts of the legislation called the sequester kick in Thursday. While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have battled to disarm or do away with sequestration, local communities are gearing up to endure the effects such across-the-board cuts will have for them.
Earlier this week, we reported stories from our affiliates in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Maryland and California. Find that story here.
Read on to see what other areas of the country are anticipating losses in the areas of education, water and more.
quicklist:1category: New Hampshiretitle: Job Cuts in the Granite State to Start with Teacherstext: WMUR reports:
"If sequestration takes effect, estimates are that New Hampshire could lose as many as 6,000 jobs, starting with the state's teachers. According to the White House, the state would lose more than $1 million in federal money for primary and secondary education.
"Ben Dick of the Manchester Education Association said that in districts like Manchester, N.H., that would mean fewer teachers in the classroom.
"'We are treading water as it is,' he said. 'Funding is at a minimum right now, especially in our school district. And I think that anytime you cut funding to public education, you're really making the job of everybody involved more difficult.'
"The estimates said New Hampshire would also stand to lose more than $2 million for children with disabilities, putting roughly 30 related jobs on the chopping block. Also, Head Start programs for more than 100 New Hampshire students would be eliminated."
quicklist:2category: Virginiatitle: Water and Sewage Treatment Services to Suffer Under Cutstext: WVEC's Cleve Bryan reports:
"The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says funding will be in trouble for the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint if cuts begin March 1.
"'Right now is a critical time for Chesapeake Bay restoration. We have a great plan in place. We've started to see it implemented,' said Christy Everett, CBF's Hampton Roads, Va., director.
"Everett says that grant money from Washington helps with sewage treatment plant upgrades, technical assistance to farmers who want to put in pollution control practices, and funding to local governments to prevent stormwater pollution."
quicklist:3category: Floridatitle: Cuts Will Hurt Elderlytext: WPLG's Christina Vazquez reports:
"Organizations throughout South Florida are preparing for how the automatic budget cuts taking place March 1 will impact on the region.
"Edith Lederberg runs the Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County, which disperses federal funds to county programs that help seniors. She said the sequester would cut nearly $4 million statewide from organizations that feed the elderly, and $8 million total to programs that impact seniors.
"One of those organizations is Feeding South Florida. It's now increasing efforts to tap into a pool of private donors in anticipation of the potential loss.
"'The meals have to come from somewhere,' said Paco Velez, chief executive officer of Feeding South Florida."
quicklist:4category: Indianatitle: Uncertainty Over Sequester Shuts Down Air Showtext: WRTV's Jenna Kooi reports:
"The 2013 Indianapolis Air Show has been canceled, with organizers citing sequester concerns.
"The show, scheduled for June 15-16 at Indianapolis Regional Airport near Mt. Comfort, Ind., was expected to feature the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, but the team would be grounded as part of sequestration, organizers noted.
"'Due to budget uncertainties resulting from the threat of sequestration and its impact on military participation at our show, all of which are beyond our control, we have been forced to make the very difficult decision to cancel the 2013 Indianapolis Air Show,' Robert Duncan, chairman of the show's executive committee, said in a news release.
"Duncan said sponsors began dropping out when news spread the Blue Angels might be grounded.
"'We had one $10,000 sponsor drop out yesterday,' he said."
quicklist:5category: Wisconsin title: Prison Guards Fear for Safetytext: WXOX reports:
"Prison workers at the Oxford Federal Correctional Institution knew a furlough would be one of the effects a potential sequester could have. They just didn't anticipate its severity.
"The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) delivered letters to all Bureau of Prison employees on Friday notifying [that] full-time employees will be furloughed [for] 14 days should the sequestration cuts go into effect."
"Union leaders warn the staffing cuts would only exacerbate existing shortages. Oxford Federal Prison has 25 fewer employees than it did in 2009.
"The ideal staff-to-inmate ratio is one guard for every three inmates. Currently, Oxford's ratio is one guard to five inmates. And with the potential furloughs, this could drop to one to seven, according to James Salzwedel, vice president of the union at Oxford Federal Correctional Institution.
"And from midnight to 8 a.m. in prison housing units, there is one guard overseeing 112 inmates, according to Salzwedel."