McDonnell privately proposes children's insurance, education cuts

Gov. Bob McDonnell's finance secretary is expanding his meetings with lawmakers and aides about McDonnell's proposals for cutting the state budget. We understand the suggestions are very specific--about the only people McDonnell hasn't shared his ideas with yet are the public.

And because the meetings continue to take place behind closed doors, McDonnell's ideas are emerging only in drips and drabs. We already mentioned, for instance, that more than 40 percent of the $1.7 billion in cuts he is recommending would come from K-12 education, largely by moving away from the state's Standards of Quality mandates. Those items outline what is considered a basic education in Virginia and funding them has traditionally been shared by the state and local school systems.

Eliminating SOQs would give local school districts more flexibility in how to spend dollars but it would also them a choice: shoulder the full cost with local tax dollars or eliminate spending altogether on items that have for years been considered part of a no-frills, basic education.

Meanwhile, we're also starting to hear some of McDonnell's proposals in other areas as well.

For instance, Gov. Tim Kaine (D) had recommended a 5 percent cut to local Community Service Boards, which offer substance abuse and mental health programs. McDonnell says they should receive a 10 percent cut, meaning an additional $48 million cut over two years.

He has also recommended cutting $30 million over two years from the state's FAMIS health program, which provides insurance to low-income children and pregnant mothers. That change would come from freezing enrollment in FAMIS, which is available to children whose families make between $30,000 and $44,000. (Those with even lower family income qualify for medicaid.)

The change would mean poor children would not be able to get health insurance, and the number enrolled in the program would drop from 100,000.

Virginia also gets significant federal funding for FAMIS in a 2-to-1 match for state spending. That means that cutting $30 million from the program would result in Virginia losing $60 million over two years in federal money and the program losing $90 million in all.

Since each area of the budget has its advocates, you can start to understand why McDonnell would not be anxious to be publicly associated with the controversial proposals.

For example, here's Jill Hankin, a staff attorney with the Poverty Law Center, on the impact of the possible FAMIS cut: "A freeze means we're closing the door on uninsured kids who need who need health care... For the state to turn its back on low-income pregnant mothers and kids is horrifying."



