Knox County Job and Family Services warns of major state funding cuts, details vouchers and child-placement costs

Scott Boone, director of Knox County Job and Family Services, told the Knox County Commissioners on Sept. 18 that state funding changes are forcing the department to plan for “worst-case scenarios” and to rethink program delivery.

Boone said the state has signaled steep cuts to workforce funding — he referenced a 69% reduction in adult funding and a 53% reduction in youth funding — and warned that changes in how reimbursements are handled will make budget planning more difficult. “We can’t bank on any promises or assurances that we’ll have this x amount in this pot moving forward from a financial perspective,” he said.

Why it matters: Boone said those funding uncertainties could compromise local programming and increase pressure on county budgets and placement costs for children in custody.

Boone gave detailed results from the department’s back-to-school voucher program. Between July and August the department received 384 family applications; staff issued 891 vouchers in the system but determined 11 were errors and recorded 880 valid vouchers redeemed for 880 individual children. The total redeemed value across vendors was $128,529.44, including $72,006.57 at Marshalls; other vendor amounts were provided by staff in the meeting record. Boone said three families were unable to pick up vouchers and four vouchers were not redeemed.

On child welfare, Boone reported 57 children were in custody as of the day before the meeting. Of those, 19 were kinship placements with relatives, 11 were placed in the department’s licensed foster homes (the agency has licensed about 30 foster homes), seven were in group homes, two were in residential placements (one currently in Florida), and 17 were in therapeutic foster-care placements. Boone said the department has licensed roughly 20 foster parents and is preparing motions for permanent custody in two additional cases. In 2025 the agency finalized one adoption and had three adoptions pending.

Boone described placement costs as a continuing pressure on the budget. He gave an example of two recent placements involving nonverbal 4‑year‑olds with severe behavioral needs that cost about $495 per child per day. Overall monthly placement costs “are a big number,” he said, estimating recent monthly costs in the mid‑$200,000 range.

Boone said county support — including a recent $500,000 contribution noted to the board — has helped stabilize the department but is not a long‑term solution. He also addressed concerns about fraud tied to last year’s voucher distribution, saying the prosecutor’s office is continuing an investigation and that the department implemented a stopgap to prevent the same issue this year.

Boone described program adjustments underway, including relocating children‑services visitations to an on‑site wing of a county building that staff and volunteers have refurbished, and pursuing performance incentives and grants to bolster the budget.

What’s next: Boone said he will follow up with commissioners on whether the voucher recipient list can be broken down by school district and on sibling‑group counts. He said he expects continuing conversations with county fiscal staff and with state partners as the department plans for the next fiscal year.

Ending: The director closed by thanking staff and commissioners for support and said the department will continue preparing for multiple fiscal scenarios.