National miscalculation forces AmeriCorps cutbacks

Reading, writing and serving are the heart of AmeriCorps programs in Springfield, Republic and Purdy, but worries about how these programs will be funded are on the minds of many AmeriCorps directors and members.

Due to a miscalculation by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the program approved 20,000 more AmeriCorps members than the education award trust allowed for in 2002. This means new members in 2003-2004 will be cut back, allowing only 30,000 new members this year compared to 70,000 last year. This miscalculation, mixed with reduced federal funding, may cut about 300 of AmeriCorps' 700 nationwide programs.

Carol Krenning, community development specialist with the Missouri Community Service Commission, said AmeriCorps membership in the state could decrease from 256 full-time positions to 115 positions.

Krenning said she first became aware of AmeriCorps' problems last year after the Corporation for National and Community Service, a division of the U.S. Freedom Corps, completed an inventory of all AmeriCorps members. The corporation announced that it had miscalculated the number of AmeriCorps members who signed up to serve.

"In the wake of Sept. 11 there was a surge of interest in AmeriCorps. President Bush proposed expanding AmeriCorps in its 2003 budget last summer. In this surge of interest we approved 70,000 positions. We discovered later that there was not sufficient funding in the trust to support the education awards of all 70,000," said Sandy Scott, press secretary for the corporation.

Every member who serves a full-time term is awarded a $4,725 education grant at the end of service. This money is placed in a trust for the members to use within seven years of service.

Hope on the way

But there is some hope on the way for AmeriCorps groups. President Bush signed July 3 the "Strengthen AmeriCorps Program Act of 2003," sponsored by Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.). With this bill, the corporation will still be able to use a new formula for money placed in the trust for education awards. This formula allows unused grants and interest to help fund more programs and members, while maintaining the needed balance to provide for education awards already granted to former members.

The bill, however, did not provide more money for the program this year. A supplemental request for additional funding is headed to Congress.

"Even with this legislation, there will be reduction in AmeriCorps. It will be a difficult year for AmeriCorps. Many good programs that have been funded in the past won't be funded. Exactly which ones is still evolving," Scott said.

Competitive grants

Every year the corporation receives many requests for AmeriCorps programs, Scott said. For the 2003-2004 year, only 53 of 466 applications have been approved.

In a June 26 statement, AmeriCorps Director Rosie Mauk said the Corporation of National and Community Service would announce additional AmeriCorps grants in mid-July.

Nearly 75 percent of AmeriCorps programs in Missouri compete for federal funding. Four programs Republic, Purdy and two in St. Louis all applied for grant money this year, but only Safety Core in St. Louis received partial funding. In the past nine years, only one state request had been denied, making the denial of three programs this year significant, Krenning said.

Republic's AmeriCorps program, which began in 1997, has averaged about 21 members a year. Republic AmeriCorps members are known as the Republic Reading Coaches. They spend 30 minutes giving one-on-one reading and writing help to children in preschool through fifth grade.

Cindy Crabtree, who served as the program director for five years and is now principal at Republic Elementary III, said the AmeriCorps has made a noticeable difference in the district.

"(AmeriCorps) helped better prepare (preschoolers) for kindergarten and made them more successful in school. Then with the second and third graders we focused on, we have seen tremendous gains in their reading abilities ... . It has helped our students' success and has taken a lot of kids off the at risk list," Crabtree said.

Republic school officials are hoping the program continues in the fall but are waiting to find out how many members will be able to serve in the district.

Purdy's AmeriCorps program began four years ago. Typically, 12 members in the program serve as tutors and reading coaches for about 115 students in the school district, said Raynel Schallert, AmeriCorps director for the Purdy schools. This is Purdy's first year to apply for a competitive grant.

"Everything is so up in the air. I'm not sure exactly where our program is going to be next year," said Schallert.

She added that the denial of the program leaves the district with many questions.

"We have met every objective that we have set forth and are seeing tremendous feedback and progress from what we have been doing here at Purdy," Schallert said.

Noncompetitive grants

Springfield's AmeriCorps program through the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, known as AmeriCorps/Caring Communities, began in 1997. During 2002, 21 tutors worked with more than 300 children in Springfield, Willard and Logan-Rogersville schools. Members volunteered with numerous community organizations and helped with seven neighborhood clean ups.

Funding for this program comes from a grant through the Corporation for National and Community Service, which is funneled through the Missouri Community Service Commission. The budget was about $400,000 last year, with Community Partnership providing 33 percent of funding. Kris Presley, program director, said the federal funding could be cut in half or nonexistent in the upcoming year.

Despite the uncertainty, support from the Community Partnership will help the program continue for at least this year, Presley said.

"Community Partnership supports us 100 percent and they are going to do everything possible they can do so our program can continue. Because a lot of the funding is from budgeting issues federally, they really think that if we can make it through this year then the following year it will be a lot better," Presley said.