Alison Patton
Editor’s note: Reinke’s position has been clarified.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Children’s Services Board started contract negotiations Thursday with a children’s program that provides social, emotional or behavioral support to school-aged children.
This comes a couple of months after the Family Access Center of Excellence was asked to cut about $1.6 million ahead of the 2027-28 school year, and after a $3.6 million contract was already issued for the current year.
The board said the funding cut is not based on FACE’s performance.
“This decision is not a reflection of the quality of FACE’s work, leadership or partnerships. Rather, it is a necessary fiscal action to protect the integrity and sustainability of the Children’s Services Fund as a whole,” according to a document for Thursday’s meeting.
FACE leadership presented ways it can reduce spending and fit some of its programs into the proposed $2 million budget.
Many of FACE’s programs will transition from community-based to school-based services, leadership will see salary cuts, and the organization’s social media, in-person offices and emails could be shut down.
“The biggest thing is that families will no longer have access to these services, which provided case management to families to help them navigate the system,” said Wendy Reinke, who is an evaluation consultant and member of the FACE leadership team.
Reinke said staffing will also need to be slashed.
“Our budget was entirely personnel, and when you lose $1.6 million, you lose $1.6 million for the people who are out there providing those services to our community,” Reinke said.
Hallsville School District spokesperson Kari Yeagy said the district’s family intervention specialist has worked with 19 students who need group or individual support, and 15 of those students currently work with FACE for support.
“The partnership with FACE helps bridge gaps in access to mental health and community resources by providing an added layer of family support and coordination services that would otherwise be challenging to sustain solely through existing school staffing,” Yeagy wrote in an email to ABC 17 News.
Jodie Ashby, a FACE family intervention specialist, spoke during the public comment period at the meeting to show just how much FACE staff mean to district schools and families.
“I guess my hope in speaking to you today is to, in an ideal world, prevent these cuts entirely,” Ashby said. “I sincerely urge the board to explore all possible avenues to retain as much funding as possible for this critical organization.”
She also read statements from teachers, most of whom said they see progress and growth within students who need FACE support.
Boone County Community Services Director Joanne Nelson told ABC 17 News that the funding issue stems from a surplus of sales tax money in the children’s services fund when it was first established. The surplus funds have been awarded, and the fund balance has to meet county requirements. Now, funding could stay stagnant.
A new contract with FACE won’t be enacted until after the county passes its budget in December.
Nelson said other programs that receive the children’s services funds could be affected in the coming years.
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