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Steering committee member urges correction after state legislator assumes local funding for LEAD program
Summary
A steering member told the committee she received an email from a state legislator indicating mistaken beliefs about local funding for the LEAD program and asked members with relationships to the legislator to correct the record before budget decisions.
Bertie (steering committee member) reported that she contacted state legislators to request support for the LEAD program and said a legislator’s office responded under the impression the program had local funding.
“I communicated with our state legislators over the weekend via email, about advocating for funding for our LEAD program because Melora had said that it's down 50%,” Bertie said. “I got a response yesterday via email from Sharon Shoemake saying she was very supportive of the LEAD program, but she understood that we had local funding. And, it's my belief that we do not.”
Bertie asked steering members who have closer relationships with the legislator to correct that misinformation, saying the budget cycle was approaching and the clarification matters for advocacy and funding decisions. Dean White (data staff referenced by Bertie) was asked to confirm local funding status; Bertie said she had shared data from a county meeting and would follow up.
Why it matters: If state legislators assume local funding exists when it does not, that misunderstanding could affect the willingness of state lawmakers to provide supplemental funding. Steering members asked colleagues with personal contacts to reach out and ensure legislators have accurate information before budget deliberations.
Ending: Members who offered contacts said they would reach out; staff and Bertie planned follow-up to confirm the program’s funding status and, if needed, supply corrected information to legislators before budget decisions.
