Knott, Rota – AHS8200 - Week 5 Journal

Monday, February 12, 2018 (4-5 p.m.)

After receiving notice last week from the Governor’s Office for Children that it was
recalling a notice of funding availability for $2 million in competitive funding that it was
planning to make available to Local Management Boards in fiscal year 2019, I reached out
to our state senator, James Mathias. I explained to Senator Mathias that the SCLMB was
hoping to apply for funding through that NOFA, potentially to support a college and career
access program, and that we were disappointed that opportunity was no longer available.
Senator Mathias, who represents Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, expressed
concern that those counties would not have the opportunity to secure additional funding
this year.

Senator Mathias offered to send a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan

expressing disappointment that the $2 million in competitive funding had not been included
in the first presentation of the state’s budget package for the year. At Senator Mathias’
request, I drafted language for inclusion in his letter regarding the status of the SCLMB’s
funding from the state and noting that we receive the least money of any county.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 (12–4 p.m.)

I attended and testified in Annapolis at a budget hearing before the Maryland Senate
on the FY19 budget for the Governor’s Office for Children, which include all Local
Management Board funding. Representatives for Legislative Affairs questioned GOC
personnel about the $2 million NOFA that was recalled. However, GOC officials couldn’t
explain how the agency’s previous executive director was planning to fund that NOFA.
Myself and representatives from three other LMBs presented an overview of our programs
for the year and discussed the importance of continued funding by the state for LMBs in
order to address the needs of children, youths, and families in our counties.

Unfortunately, none of our local legislators serve on the House budget committee.
However, I hope to follow up with our local legislative representatives to ensure they all
understand the purpose of LMBs and our programming in Somerset County.

Thursday, February 15, 2018 (12–2 p.m.)

The board of directors held a meeting to conduct regular business and to continue
planning for preparation of its annual programmatic and funding plan for submission to the
Governor’s Office for Children. I was disappointed that so few members of the board
attended. Board attendance continues to be something with which we struggle. Regardless
of the meeting day or time, we have a hard time reaching a quorum.

I explained to the board that the NOFA for competitive funding had been withdrawn
by GOC and we would no longer be able to apply for additional funding in FY19. The
board agreed that, should the NOFA be re-released later this year, that I should begin
preparing to submit an application for funding that would allow the SCLMB to create a
program designed to support workforce development and extended educational needs for
local youths.

I met with the SCLMB’s afterschool program coordinator the potential for creating a
youth college and career access program that includes training and summer job placement.
The program coordinator has a background in this field and may be able to oversee a new
program for the SCLMB. We discussed a new request for proposals that is scheduled to be
released by the Maryland State Department of Education that could be a funding
opportunity for such a program. I think this could be a great opportunity to continue
supporting our afterschool programs while expanding to serve older youths.

Friday, February 16, 2018 (2-4 p.m.)

I spent some time researching and reviewing data on the number disconnected
youths ages 16 to 24 who are not working and not in school, locally, statewide, and
nationally. According to Opportunity Nation, Maryland ranks 13th in the nation in
providing support for this population. However, it was eye opening to me to see that
Somerset County received a grade of a C- from the organization for addressing the needs of
disconnected youths. We have a lot of work to do ahead of use to improve that grade. The
county scored well below the state and the nation in the areas of opportunity, education,
economy, community, and health as they relate to supporting disconnected youths
reconnection to education and jobs. We have a lot of work to do ahead of use to improve
that grade.

GOC offered an hour-long introductory webinar on disconnected youth that I

reviewed. According to data collected by GOC, about 15 percent of Somerset County
youths fall into the disconnected youths’ category. That equates to about 880 individuals.
Given the population of Somerset County, that number seems high to me. I will continue to
dig into the data to see if I can find supporting documentation.