DARE TO DROP DARE?

The program graduates thousands of children every year. The state has spent
millions of tax dollars in training and materials. School districts devote
hours of would-be class time to it every year.

And now, the state of Illinois says all of it was for a program that
doesn't work.

Various studies have taken shots at the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
program for years, saying it has no significant impact on preventing drug
use. At least one study even suggested DARE program participants actually
had a greater chance of using drugs.

DARE America has always defended its program and has recently worked to
improve materials to make it more effective. Never has the government
supported either view. Until now.

Buried in the pages of Illinois' No Child Left Behind legislation is a call
to end DARE funding after one year, citing the claim that the program has
"not demonstrated science-based effectiveness." Local governments would
have to fund and train officers through DARE America on their own. DARE
officers now are trained by Illinois State Police.

Former Deputy Governor for Education Hazel Loucks said the decision to cut
DARE was more of a budget call than a move necessitated by No Child Left
Behind.

"Last year, there were some national questions about DARE and whether it
was doing what it was supposed to do," Loucks said. "It wasn't worth the
expenditure. Well, better to cut that than something that works."

Those decisions were made by the administrative team of former Gov. George
Ryan, leaving the door open for DARE funding to return if current Gov. Rod
Blagojevich's team wants to save the program and can find the cash.

Staff in the governor's Springfield office are cognizant of the DARE
funding situation and said there has been some talk about reinstating some
funding. However, all those funds depend on the ability of the governor to
plug a $4.8ebillion budget deficit.

Illinois State Police spokesman Sgt. Lincoln Hampton said the program has
funding through October of this year and officers are still receiving DARE
training.

"It's really kind of a difficult situation," Hampton said. "Our budget
hasn't been determined yet. It's kind of tough to speak for an
administration that hasn't made any decision on that yet."

The Illinois State Board of Education, which oversees the requirements of
the No Child Left Behind legislation, said they have no idea what the
future of the DARE program is or how many schools would be affected.

The education agency doesn't specifically recommend DARE to any schools.
Rather it defers to what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. School districts are not bound by that list.

"We haven't taken a specific position on the DARE program," said Lee
Milner, state board of education spokesman.

The funding debate hasn't escaped local governments and police departments
that actually bring the DARE program into schools.

In Elgin, about 1,800 students go through the program every year. But with
funding gone, the police department is taking a look at the DARE program as
a possible budget cut, reasoning that it is not as essential as patrolling
the streets.

Schools in St. Charles debated the issue of cutting DARE to save $44,000 of
budget money last April. Likewise, Des Plaines toyed with DARE elimination
to help with its local budget. It was hotly contested by local schools.

The sentiment is just the opposite in Wheeling, where there are no
doubters. The village police department has completely absorbed the costs
of the DARE program into its budget because the belief in the impact of the
program is so high. Four officers perform DARE activities as part of their
regular duties, each at a different elementary school

Cmdr. Jim Kuzynowski said DARE isn't going away any time soon.

"This is from the heart," he said. "We feel the DARE program has been very
successful. Any time you can get to the kids and make them feel comfortable
with a police officer, it's a positive thing. We are committed to
continuing DARE in Wheeling."

An update on the future of DARE programs should come after the governor's
budget address today.