What should I do my Budget is getting cut?

Question

I work with teen males in Corcoran CA as a Program Coordinator of a Male Involvement Program (MIP). Our budget has been cut in a time when the California State budget is doing great!

The Office of Family planning lied to the to the Federal Government about the type of work that I do! In order to get funding by the FEDS the Office of Family Planning said I was a clinical service, when in fact they knew that I operate as a youth development program.

Now the State of Office of Family Planning says that the Bush cut our budget, and it is Govern Arnold’s fault. However, the state knew that the FEDS would have never funded us a community grant.

Yet, after a Federal audit of the State of California Office of Family Planning was caught lying to the feds, and now is threaten with losing 50% of its budget for MIP that the FEDS had funded unless it makes its correction.

So, who should be punished? The State staff that lied to the Feds, or the Governor who was unaware of the fact that state employees in the Office of Family Planning were lying to the FEDS to get funds. Should the FEDS trust the contacts at the Office of Family Planning?

Answer 1

"What should I do my Budget is getting cut?"

You should have already submitted a budget request to the Office of Family Planning. And the office may or may not have a procedure whereby you can appeal any reduction in funding-- or reductions that exceed certain amounts (such as 50%). If you are fully familiar with the circumstances surrounding the funding decisions, then you should make a recommendation to the OFP as to how they can keep from losing certain federal funding.

Otherwise, as often happens with bureaucracies, your federally subsidized, state-funded program will suffer a budget cut. And who's fault is it? Well, it's the OFP's fault for lying to the Feds. And it might be your fault for letting that happen. And it might be the fault of the governor's office for not having more substantial oversight-- though ultimately, you do have to assume the people below you are following the rules. It sounds like maybe you should be happy that the state was able to wiggle some funds from the Feds for at least a year and try to figure out what other pool of state funding, if any, might make up for the shortfall.

Ultimately, if you want to save your program from heinous budget cuts, you'll have to make some good suggestions about where the money can come from to make up the shortfall.

Answer 2

When you live off of the public's money, you are subject to their whims. Too bad you couldn't find a real job that produces something that someone would want to buy. Then you'd have some job security.

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Answer 3

Wow, sounds bad. Maybe you could write your congressman and/or state representative about it?