Call to Action: For Residential Treatment Schools in Idaho
Your actions, now, can make a difference in the lives of countless future cedu students.
The Issue:
All Cedu schools are licensed by the Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare. The guidelines for the license can be found at http://www2.state.id.us/adm/adminrules/ ... 6/0603.pdf . Not surprisingly, Cedu schools are not in full compliance with the licensing requirements. Without the license Cedu schools cannot operate in Idaho.
The problem:
At the start of fy 04-05, there were over 260 residential treatment centers in Idaho, and the number is growing every year. Yet, the budget for the Department [Health and Welfare] that is charged with managing this growing industry continues to dwindle.
Additionally, many of these residential treatment centers are registered as non-profit organization, although the parent company that provides administrative services at exurbanite prices are for-profit. The psedu non-profit status cheats Idaho taxpayers, and the department health and welfare out of the needed resources to manage this growing industry for Idaho's future. This fiscal arrangement diverts funds away from local schools, police, and fire protection to the coffers of the for-profit parent company.
Relatively few of the students in the residential treatment fasilaties are from Idaho. But, it is still the Idaho taxpayer that is charged with the over-site of these programs.
A solution:
Idaho general law needs to change for the better. These schools make millions of dollars that are exported to out-of-state owners, for services provided to out-of-state students. These schools need to pay reasonable fees on a per student basis to for their oversight. Idaho taxpayers should not be left holding out their wallets to over see services that they do not get, nor profit from.
What can you do:
- Are you an attorney, or do you or someone that you know have experience at a Statehouse or the Hill in DC? If so, the legislation needs to be drafted. Join the legal committee by replying to this post.
- Do you have local connections to advocacy organizations? Do you know voters in Idaho? Do you have organizing experience? Or maybe you are cause dedicated and you are willing to put in hours of work reaching out to opinion leaders to get this legislation passed? If so, Join the Outreach Committee by replying to this post.
- Are you the analytical type that enjoys finding and crunching numbers into cohesive pieces of information. People are needed for researching this issue to provide documentation to outreach committee, possibly the press, and ultimately lawmakers. All the better if you have an undergrad or graduate degree from an acclaimed school. If this sounds like fun to you, please reply to the post stating that you'd like to join the research committee.
- Attention wordsmiths. Are you a talented writer? Can you take a paragraph of complicated facts and distill it to a short sentence. If so writers are needed for possible press releases, FAQ's, fact sheets, talking points and other public communications. Just reply to this post stating that you would like to join the communication committee.
- Do you have volunteer fundraising experience? Or maybe, you'd like to gain fund-raising experience? If you do not have a fear of asking people for money for a virtuous cause then this is the committee for you. Just reply to this post stating that you'd like to join the fundraising committee. Although this appears to be the least sexy committee, this committee is really the group that drives the operation. Unfortunately with out money, it is hard for any of the other committees to function
Let's give this post about a week, and if after a week it looks like there are several volunteers interested bringing this project to fruition, I?ll set-up a conference call.
