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Eric Gordon is the CEO of the Metropolitan School District. And just this past Tuesday, he called on the Ohio Senate to keep on with the funding that it had previously removed from the Senate’s own biennial budget, which is meant to fund the Say Yes campaign for family support specialists throughout the next two years.

Within the House’s own version, there had been about $9 million placed throughout the whole two years, being around $4.5 million for every year. This allows for family support specialists to stay at the schools. Through this measure, the Senate has taken the funding from the budget bill, which is said to be shown on Wednesday. Therefore, resulting in only around $2.5 million arriving from the Temporary Assistance program. This is in particular very helpful for families in need.

Such a support will allow social workers to be found in every building within the greater Ohio school districts system. Around $4.5 million had been accumulated after the yearly funding had been cut by Cuyahoga County in the past year. The County had stepped right in while the County Executive Chris Ronayne had given about $2.1 million within the last month.

The family support specialist program is not a low-cost expense, however, as it costs around $9.3 million every year.

It had been funded nearly totally by Cuyahoga County and the school district. The biggest shortfall had been made last year once the county cut the funding at a rate of $4.5 million. The federal money had not been reimbursed via Title IV-E. That in and of itself is intended to stop younger folks to stay away from the foster care system. The state had been telling the county how funding however, would not be a worthwhile means to power the Say Yes program.

In fact, Gordon himself made it known that the $9 million would simply stay put as a “bridge” in order to allow the family support specialist program throughout the following two years, as a long-term solution works out via Say Yes Cleveland, where the district and additional funding could cover.

Family support specialists allow students and families to uncover solutions for complex issues, while also serving a huge role in giving students stability within the most poor cities in the country, as argued by advocates.

The Senate has been looking forward to resolving and restoring many other provisions that were within the budget for the House while not all at once having been brought into play with the Senate’s version. All while additional state funding would come into play for low-income Ohio school districts.