. . . For Now . . .

On Thursday, November 20, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy announced $54.6 million dollars in cuts to state agencies in an effort to help close a $99.5 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year. The primary state funding for after school grants remains untouched. It remains to be seen if these cuts which total less than one percent of the state budget will adequately address the problem, or if additional rescissions may be necessary.

It is essential that our elected officials understand the importance of afterschool programs, so now would be a great time to invite state legislators out to visit your program, regardless of whether you receive any state funding. There are quite a few new state senators and representatives, so take a few minutes to send them an email and tell them about your program and how it helps kids, families and the community. Ask them to come out and visit in the next two months before things get really busy at the Capitol! As always, if you need more information about how to reach your elected officials or would like to talk more about what to say, feel free to contact the Network at 860-730-2941.

For all the details on the most recent budget cuts, visit http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/malloy_makes_cuts_to_dcf_higher_ed/ which also includes a link to the actual amounts cut line-by-line.