2/14/2011

Youth Dept. Staff Cuts

Posted by MJ

The LUSJ reported last week that the youth department will need to cut the number of parks hosting the summer youth programs from 8 to four with one park left in each quadrant of the city:

Summertime youth and recreation staffing will be limited to four city parks this year.

The parks are likely to be Altro, Outwater, Dolan and Rogers Avenue parks, roughly hitting the four quadrants of the city, Youth Bureau Executive Director Melissa Junke told the resident-led Youth Board on Tuesday.

The city’s eight-week, admission-free summertime program for kids is being reduced from eight parks due to a staff funding cut in the 2011 budget...
...“We’ll have the same program, pretty much, as we’ve had all these years, but in fewer places. It’ll be an adjustment for the kids,” Junke said...
The changes are proposed in response to the city’s 50 percent cut in playground recreation staff funding this year. Junke had authority to hire 30 rec leaders last year and can only hire up to 15 this year. Each park has to be staffed by a minimum of two rec leaders, per pending state legislation regarding staffing of youth programs and facilities, Junke said; and better attended parks demand more staffing.

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