‘Budgets should not be balanced on the backs of our children!’ Says Letter to the Editor About HSU’s Proposed Budget

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Humboldt State University's Children's Center

[Photo provided by Lauren Carman Evans]

With the HSU’s Children’s Center facing possible closure or budget cuts, a group of parents is organizing.

I am a local teacher and HSU graduate and my kids go to the HSU Children’s Center while I teach full-time and my husband attends HSU full-time. The HSU Children’s Center makes it possible for us and many others to focus on growing a healthy family while balancing this with a career and/or continuing education. The program is affordable, accessible and extremely high quality. Sadly, its future is now uncertain because of HSU’s $9M budget crisis. HSU may privatize, take funding away, or close the Center to cut costs.

There is still a chance they will leave the program as-is, but this is looking less and less likely as time passes. Decisions are going to be made soon which will impact dozens of HSU students, faculty and their families, as well as families in our greater community.

Supporters of the Center have created a Facebook page called, “Hands off the HSU Children’s Center!” and we have grown to over 400 members in just a few days. We are circulating a petition in support of the Center that has nearly 800 signatures and counting. We are writing letters, attending meetings and otherwise fighting for our beloved Children’s Center to remain functioning as-is!

It is a very personal cause to me especially because I knew it was a place that would be there for my family when we returned to the area after my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. My twins absolutely thrive there. I want to tell them and the students I teach every day, many of whom will be HSU students themselves one day, that HSU came through for us and helped our family to reach its full potential. Budgets should not be balanced on the backs of our children!

Please, if you can, help spread awareness that this wonderful program is in danger of being cut, privatized or otherwise changed. It needs to remain the high quality, well accredited, easily accessible place that it has been for decades now.

Lauren Carman Evans

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25 Comments
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Neverwrong
Guest
Neverwrong
5 years ago

All services should be able to pay their own way. The children’s center, the art gallery, all of it. Everyone claims all these programs are absolutely essential for the continuation of the species. (See previous articles about HSU gallery) Everyone has their hands out asking everyone else to subsidize their life choices. Fees need to reflect costs. Please stop asking others to pay your way.

Ralph
Guest
Ralph
5 years ago
Reply to  Neverwrong

If the little blue Snowflakes don’t have the State to bring up their children, they will not survive. How scary for them.

Ernestine
Guest
Ernestine
5 years ago
Reply to  Ralph

Let’s get real: three people control half the wealth. 10 control 90% of the wealth.
Those 10 people blow smoke up your ass every day, telling you it’s the poor people who got your money.
No no dude, it’s those 10 rich effers who got your money.
Spend your anger there and you’ll make headway…. You can nail down a group of ten… Make them rewrite the tax laws so the middle class isn’t paying for everything.

Dragonfly
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Neverwrong

Your understanding of community needs and economics is very screwed. It is acceptable & OK to seek support for services which enrich children and allow parents to go to school and work. Your attidude is an extension of the ignorance which seems to be more prevalent in Humboldt.

When we have an economy which EMPOWERS all sectors of the Emerald Triangle, young, old, disabled, skilled & unskilled., those with degrees, certifications, valued work experience etc.. your comments are nothing but an extension of the abuse of those who have a distorted view of the direction our region should head in. It is also the result of our leadership and county officials refusal to focus on diverse employment training which allows individuals to be economically autonomous!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Dragonfly

Right. No one can succeed if the government doesn’t make it happen.

thebigdeal
Guest
thebigdeal
5 years ago
Reply to  Neverwrong

totally correct

Ralph
Guest
Ralph
5 years ago

WOW, they so don’t get it. HSU should not be balanced on the BRAINS of our children!!!

Neverwrong
Guest
Neverwrong
5 years ago

That the powers that be at HSU are incapable of balancing a budget is criminal. I wish I could spend money I don’t have. What fun. Fun is over. The largest expense of any business, and HSU is a business, is people. The quickest way to cut expenses is to fire people. No more salaries or benefits to fund. I recommend starting at the top, highest paid are the first to go. Keep going till buget is balanced. Easy peasy. Your welcome.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Neverwrong

What a joy that would be. All the administrators gone. Or even half of them. All the department heads form a committee to manage the enrollment, cafeterias, dormitories, landscaping, personel, planning, maintenance, scholarships, records, physical plant, special projects, etc in perfect harmony, without divisiveness, posturing, power plays or arrogance.

Ha! What chance of that with people who specialize inter department bickering and sabotage. Who think they all know best but never see anyone else’s point. Who never see the end of personal agendas to make everything right. Every single one having had their egos pumped up by being surrounded by people who by design know less than them (students) and over whom they have an obscene amount of power.

Yup. That would be quite a sight. A miracle of biblical proportions.

Antichrist
Guest
Antichrist
5 years ago

saddly i havent found away to live a life i cant afford either, but thanks to this letter i found a clue, i need to make a facebook group and throw out some sappy crap about canser then ask folks to rise up and demand that my desires are funded

Your Mom
Guest
Your Mom
5 years ago
Reply to  Antichrist

[edit] Are you seriously poking fun at cancer patients? [edit]

Fat ’n’ Happy
Guest
Fat ’n’ Happy
5 years ago

Why Are States So Strapped for Cash? There Are Two Big Reasons: Medicaid and Public Pensions

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-are-states-so-strapped-for-cash-there-are-two-big-reasons-1522255521

Dawn
Guest
Dawn
5 years ago

Bullshit! Public servants deserve every bit of their pensions. How’d you like to stand around the Eureka DMV office, for example, for 30 years or so, eating you-know-what from people like you, and then go out with no pension? You’re now too old to work, even if anyone would hire you at that age. Try it, you’ll hate it.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Dawn

No pension was not the alternative to a full pension in your early 50’s, based on highest one year of work at a rate of 2% of that salary multiplied by the number of years worked, with medical care for life. That’s a pretty substantial pension.

And rudeness can be a two way street at the DMV. Or even one way for daring to show up with a few employees.

offworktoday
Guest
offworktoday
5 years ago

Boy, what nice comments so far.

If you can’t get behind the idea that investing in children’s development, and supporting their parents to get an education, is something that is worth doing —- what else is there? Why have a society if we can’t help each other? The “State” isn’t evil — it is the name we give the activities we all do together.

Get a grip internet.

Fat ’n’ Happy
Guest
Fat ’n’ Happy
5 years ago
Reply to  offworktoday

Yeah, all us privileged special “state” peoples get free health care and lifetime defined benefit pensions and you get to figure out how to pay for it. That’s why we spend our time and effort getting good at politics to take care of ourselves.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  offworktoday

The point of raising bright, self sufficient children is so they can grow up to be bright, self sufficient adults- who take care of themselves. Obviously a point that is something that never crosses the minds of people who believe everyone is owed everything and it will all be paid for by some faceless, evil big company.

No matter what services are provided, it is never enough, always unfair and should be a right. The “it takes a village” people are scary as all get out.

M
Guest
M
5 years ago

students pay a LOT to attend school; more than any other industrialized nation. That cost should certainly cover having on site quality childcare for those working hard to get ahead.

Neverwrong
Guest
Neverwrong
5 years ago

Since dragonfly has stated it is O.K. to support these services, maybe dragonfly can pay for them? Since they are necessary for the continuation of the species. Not sure my understanding of the situation is the one thats screwed.

Gail
Guest
Gail
5 years ago

I am saddened to see the caustic remarks here. Please don’t just be mean. There is no reason for it. I would like to think we have not lost the ability for civil and appropriate discourse. The Children’s Center gives parents an opportunity to have their children experience quality daycare at a reduced rate – and yes, this is ‘subsidized’ daycare. Most student parents can not afford the costs of daycare. I hear some of you saying, ‘Well, then, they should just suck it up and do whatever they need to do. Quit school and get a job! Why should I pay for their subsidized daycare when no one else pays for mine?!” Here’s why: Higher Education means a more qualified work force. Higher education means fewer folks on welfare programs. Higher Education means forward movement in research and science. Higher Education means the betterment of society. Higher Education is a GOOD thing. We all want our country to be the best it can be. We have to help each other. No one, not you, not me, not anyone has ever ‘made it’ all on their own. Ever. Think about it. We have ALL had help somewhere along the way. In this instance, the money spent is well-worth the investment. We, as a society, will all benefit.

Neverwrong
Guest
Neverwrong
5 years ago

Gail, you are correct in what you say. I would replace the word “education ” with the word “intelligence ” There are a great many educated idiots in the world. Intelligence can not be taught. With so many with degrees in so much the value of the piece of paper in increasingly….worth less. A BA or BS is is no longer sufficient to get a job. Masters or more. Professional students. I have interacted with a great many MBA’s who are clueless. I would love to fund free higher education for everyone. Not sure it would help. Respectfully..

SGT Ted
Guest
SGT Ted
5 years ago

“I am a local teacher and HSU graduate and my kids go to the HSU Children’s Center while I teach full-time and my husband attends HSU full-time. ”

Your husband can stay home and watch the kids until you get home, then he can go take classes to better himself, or he and you can wait until the kids are self sufficient enough that they don’t need all day child care. That’s what my mom did. Point being, there are alternatives that people can do and still meet their goals without having to absolutely rely on a subsidy. I don’t want to be mean about it, but you have entitled expectations regarding child care. You and husband are the ones who are supposed to take care of your kids. No one owes you subsidized child care.

Youknowit
Guest
Youknowit
5 years ago

I am promoting a protest of my apple tree tomorrow since it did not produce enough free apples for those wanted them. Looking for sign painters and people who look really upset.

Mike
Guest
Mike
5 years ago

Here’s a idea, Arcata is about to spend almost 100k I think on a political statement by removing a statue, how about you take that money and put it towards funding your child center. The downside is that you won’t get to feel superior than everyone else but the upside is that well your child care would be able to continue on for a while longer.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike

Well they would feel superior, actually proud even, if their goal was really about providing child care rather than political power plays. No. Real satisfaction comes from making others pay for your wants. Unless you take pride in taking care of yourself.