DARE PROGRAM CONTINUES DESPITE SHORTAGE OF FUNDS

A tight state budget has put the pinch on many programs in Louisiana.
Hiring freezes and slashed budgets make normal operations a bit more difficult.

One example of the budget clamp came last week when the state cut 42
percent of the budget from the Drug Abuse Resistance Program. In Ouachita
Parish, that means a loss of $26,000 from $62,000 in state money. DARE in
Ouachita Parish has a total budget of $124,000.

The loss in funds for DARE also points out a problem with tying programs to
fluctuating revenue sources, which in this case means the Tobacco Tax
Health Care Fund. The tax did not generate the money anticipated.

It's a tough situation in a difficult financial climate. Finding ways to
offset the loss of funds isn't easy, but Ouachita Parish Sheriff Richard
Fewell says the cutback will not stop the program. That's the right answer,
despite the cutback.

"I'm going to keep the program going,' Fewell said. "I promised I would do
it, and it's important to the parents.'

A couple of options to help offset the loss of funds exist. One is
corporate sponsors, which Sheriff Randy Maxwell has done in Concordia
Parish. But Fewell said he is wary of that approach because of the politics
that can become involved.

Another form of help comes from the recent approval by district judges to
add $10 to traffic fines. That money goes into the general fund, and Fewell
said some of those proceeds can be devoted to the shortfall in the DARE
program.

The DARE program benefits schools and communities. In Ouachita Parish,
deputies speak to children in the fifth and sixth grades about the dangers
of drug abuse. Students like the program and officers enjoy the interaction.

"The officers really make a connection with the kids,' Ouachita Parish
School Superintendent Bob Webber said.

DARE serves an important purpose for schools, which must provide some drug
education programs to receive federal funds. DARE offers schools a bonus
because it helps them receive money and does not cost schools a dime.

The shortage of funds likely came about because store owners purchased
large quantities of cigarettes before the increased tax went into effect
earlier this year, throwing off budget estimates for revenues. Hopefully
that means this type of unanticipated cut won't happen again.

In the meantime, it's important that DARE continues to operate in our schools.