Building Pathways to Empowerment Campaign Taking Shape
For the first time in 18 months, the state’s revenue exceeded the forecast. As an editorial in the Fort Wayne News Sentinel stated:
“Tax collections for March were $908 million, $7 million more than for the same period last year, $2 million above a May 2009 budget forecast and $48 million above a December 2009 revised forecast. But Indiana officials are right to urge caution in greeting this news, and agencies that have faced severe budget cuts should not be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the money rolling in.”
“For one thing, March represents another net negative month compared to the budget, and new expenses are always possible. For example, recently passed federal health care reform will immediately cost the state budget $25 million as the federal government takes pharmacy rebates previously going to the state. And for another, we don’t know yet whether this is the beginning of a new trend or, as state Budget Director Chris Ruhl puts it, an ‘interruption for one month’ of the trend of ‘revenues consistently missing the budget plan and prior year amounts.’”
“Year-to-date collections are still $867 million below the budget forecast last May, the forecast that was used for the current two-year budget. And when that budget expires June 30, 2011, the state is expected to have gone through all or most of the $1.3 billion surplus it started the fiscal year with, despite the hundreds of millions cut from the budget by Gov. Mitch Daniels since it was enacted.”
We are getting so many positive comments on our Building Pathways to Empowerment Campaign and are excited that people are eager to get involved and work toward the goals of redesigning Indiana’s system to meet peoples needs within the new financial realities we all face.
The Arc of Indiana Board has established the Pathways Committee chaired by Laura Vieck of Vincennes whose son Aaron is on the Support Services Waiver. This committee will be coordinating the overall campaign.
David Mank, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, has agreed to chair the Big Minds Group, which will bring together the 20 best minds in America to help us answer these key questions. We are excited that John O’Brien and Connie Lyle, two of the most respected people in the developmental disability field have already agreed to participate.
The communication plan is underway and our chapters have been asked to help us get before community groups like Rotary and Kiwanis to tell our story. We are already booked in two communities. Our goal is over 100 presentations between now and November, and in each community we want to do local interviews with radio and newspapers.
We are also asking chapters to identify parents and self-advocates who will undergo training to speak to other community groups. If you would like to join that effort contact Mark Kevitt, The Arc of Indiana’s Director of Program Services, at mkevitt@arcind.org.
We have identified key Indiana House and Senate races where we will be making a special effort to education candidates about the importance of what is happening to people with disabilities and their families.
Connie Dillman, CEO Tangram and Kelly Hartman, CEO Insights Consulting have agreed to help us reach out to the provider community to help tell them about the Pathways Campaign and engage people in getting families and self-advocates involved.
And we were very pleased that on March 31 we hosted eight major disability groups and asked them to become partners in the Pathways Campaign. We already have partners signed up who will be joining others in this effort as Pathways Partners - Advocates.
This is an undertaking like no other in recent times, but we are experiencing challenges unlike any in my 38 years in the field. I find the support humbling, the challenges daunting, but the people getting involved give me the confidence that this will work. Thank you and stay in touch.
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