FAQs

Q: Why is there a need for a publicly-funded effort above what we have now to assist children?

A: We have a community problem and its most obvious symptom shows up in our public school drop-out rate.  Data from the Spokane School District and the Spokane Regional Health District are discouraging. 

           ! One-third of our children in Spokane are not graduating from high  school.
           ! Out of every 100 children classified as in poverty, only 27 are registered for early childhood learning.
           ! Nearly half of all students feel they do not have opportunities to participate in activities outside of school.

Not a single organization serving children and families in Spokane feels that it is serving as many kids as it has capacity for.  We need to increase the capability of these existing organizations by providing them with more sustainable resources.

Q: What evidence is there that current funding is not sustainable?

A: Non-profit organizations are reporting a declining lack of resources dedicated to help children succeed.  For example, in recent years, we have lost two grants in Spokane of more than $4 million that provided after school, mental health, and substance abuse services for elementary and middle school children.   United Way funding in Spokane has not kept pace with that of other cities our size or even with inflation.  And the same holds true for City of Spokane human services funding.

Q: Have other cities established similar funds?

A: Other cities across the United States have recognized that the current model of funding these children’s services outside of existing school systems  is not sustainable.  These cities have set up independent boards to direct a set amount of public funds to assist children in ways that are not presently being addressed.  They recognize that high dropout rates can lead to a work force crisis, and that their local economies rely on a well-educated and prepared work force.

Q: What cities in our region have such funds?

A: Voters in both Seattle and Portland have long experience with children’s investment funds and in both cases have voted to extend their programs.

Seattle has had such a fund since 1990.  Organizations that receive funds now must show measurable outcomes based on what each organization’s goals are with respect to dropout rates.  A primary objective overall is to assess what impacts each organization has on fighting dropout root causes. Initially outcome goals are established and the receiving organizations must meet 90 percent of the outcome goals or they may receive reduced funding or no funding at all.    

Portland raises $13 million a year in municipal funds to distribute to nonprofit organizations that provide children’s services in four specific areas: Early Childhood Learning, Parental Support, Mentoring and After School Programs. 

Portland’s program also leverages an additional $4 million a year beyond the city’s tax funding.

Q: How will the Spokane’s Children’s Investment Fund Work?

A: Voters will be asked to approve a six-year city levy that will raise approximately $5 million a year for distributionto non-profit organizations delivering the types of children’s services aimed at lowering dropout rates.  Such programs will include efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect; aiding children suffering from mental illness and drug abuse; preparing children to arrive at school “ready to learn”, and mentoring children for success in school and later in life.

No new city department or agency would be created.  Funds would go to supplement programs already being administered by non-profit organizations.

The ballot would include a “sunset clause” which means that unless voters decide to renew the program after six years, the levy would end.

Q: Who will run the Children’s Investment Fund and Distribute the Money? 
 
A: Based on extensive input received from non-profit stakeholders and others involved in area children’s programs, the following structure is presently under consideration.
The Investment Fund would be administered by a volunteer Citizen’s Oversight Committee consisting of eleven members with this representation:

            One member from the City government of Spokane.
            One member from the local juvenile justice system.
            One member from the Spokane public schools.
            One member from a major provider of child and youth services.
            One member who is a city business representative.

And six at-large members (including a mix of people with expertise in child and youth development; involvement in minority communities; teachers and school counselors, and institutions of higher education).  At least two members must be from the minority community, one must be a youth and all eleven representatives must be equally distributed between the 5 local high school districts.

            As with most city boards and commissions, the appoinments  would be made by the Mayor with concurrence by the City Council.        

Q: Are we just creating another city bureaucracy?

A: No.  The Children’s Investment Fund will provide  much needed direct assistance to non-profit organizations already providing children and youth services. It is modeled on that used in other cities such as Seattle and Portland.   In these communities no large bureaucracy exists to administer the funds. A small oversight board oversees the management, distribution and accountability of the fund.  Administrative costs will be limited to five percent.

Q: How will Fund recipients be chosen?

A: The oversight board will establish specific standards and criteria for distribution of funds.  These focus areas will be based on community health assessment data from the
Spokane Regional Health District and other sources.  The funds will be allocated to reputable non-profit social service organizations and be based on detailed grant applications which will include clear accountability provisions.

Q: How do we know the Children’s Investment Fund will reduce drop-out rates?

A: Ample statistical and anecdotal evidence, both locally and nationwide, demonstrates the value of children and youth programs and their impact on improving the lives of young
people both in and out of school.  Research has shown that these programs work if properly funded.  For example, one-to-one mentoring does have a positive impact on reducing high school drop-out rates.  Studies show that children matched to a mentor for an average of 12 months are 52 percent less likely to skip school, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, and 33 percent less likely to use violence as a form of conflict resolution.

Q: Aren’t the drop-out rate and children’s social problems the responsibility of our schools?

A: The reality of our times is that school systems don’t have the resources to provide for all the needs of children from infancy to entry into the business world. Those roles are shared by families and the community.

Schools, as they should be, are focused on the scholastic performance of our youth. School budgets are such that they simply can’t cover intervention programs before or after school that ensure that all students succeed.  Many communities around the country have concluded that additional resources beyond that of school districts must be generated on behalf of our youth.

Q: Will raising taxes for youth services affect votes for school levies or other city
needs?    

A: Spokane citizens have always considered school support as a high priority.  Evidence from other communities with similar funds, such as Seattle and Portland, show that there
is no adverse impact on school funding votes.  Actually, the whole idea of the Children’s Investment Fund is complementary to the work of our public schools.

In the long term, lowering drop-out rates should ease pressure on local government justice system and jail costs, mental health services and other social service needs.

Q: Why will this fund serve the City of Spokane only and not be county-wide?

A: We have to start somewhere.  The root causes of increased dropout rates are the severest in more urbanized areas and Spokane is the most concentrated urban area
within our county.

While there is no question that the dropout problem is a regional issue,  Spokane County, because it is not a statutory home-rule county, does not presently have the authority to establish such a fund.  City of Spokane voters do have access to such authority through their own home-rule city charter.  Perhaps in the future, State law will be changed to address this inequity.

Q: What are the successes of other cities?

A: The other cities in our region that have established similar Children’s Investment Funds are Seattle and Portland.  Voters in both cities have extended their programs
based on what citizens considered as successes.  While these programs did not focus exclusively on dropout rates, many of the youth programs funded eventually showed
positive impacts on the dropout problem.  What we can learn most from these other cities is their experience in making such funds accountable and in developing ways to
track measurable outcomes.

Q: If this new Fund is established, how will it affect other non-profit funding sources?

A: In the other cities with such children’s funds no non-profits reported a decline in giving after the funds were established. In both cities, United Way giving continued at the same rate.  Reauthorization of the funds was supported virtually unanimously by the respective non-profit communities.

Q:  How were the four target areas chosen to fight the dropout problem?

A: The four target areas chosen by sponsors of the Children’s Fund Initiative are:
(1) Early Childhood Learning;
(2) Child Abuse and Neglect;
(3) Child Mentoring: and
(4) Strengthening After-School Programs.

They were chosen based on several factors:

           ! A Spokane area community-wide summit in April of 2009, attended by more than 300 participants, concluded that these four focus areas are critical to solving the dropout problem.
           ! National Research shows that these four focus areas will have the most impact on academic success, behavioral changes, and school attendance.
           ! Independent polling conducted earlier this year in Spokane reinforced the importance of these target areas in fighting the dropout problem.
           ! Research also shows that investing in these four target areas will have the best monetary return for the community (for, among other things, the future of the children themselves, the criminal justice system and overall community economic well-being.)

Q: Is focusing on these four areas truly a comprehensive solution?

A: Again, national research and local experience show that these four areas encompass the major risk factors associated with dropping out.  Sponsors of the Spokane Children’s Fund Initiative have held three community-wide meetings with representatives from more than 75 organizations to discuss this approach to the drop-out problem.  There appears to be a general agreement that the four targeted risk factors are major causes of the problem.

In addition there is general agreement that a long-range, sustainable solution to addressing these risk factors is needed.  That is why a six-year initial  levy is being proposed.
The goal during that period is to reduce the Spokane drop-out rate by at least 20 percent.

Q: Is this effort just throwing money at the problem without knowing the solution?

A: Not at all.  Research and experience in the field shows that the solution to the drop-out problem lies in vigorously addressing the four major risk factors.  A number of reputable non-profit organizations in Spokane are engaged in this battle but resources are limited or actually declining.  The purpose of this fund is to identify those organizations that have the demonstrated capability and to provide the resources for targeted efforts for success.      

 

  
Q: Why not run the entire program through an existing organization such as United Way or the Inland Northwest Community Foundation?

A: The Children’s Investment Fund is intended as a Spokane city-wide approach to a specific targeted problem – school drop-outs.  Because it is calling for use of public monies, the six-year levy, it by law must be administered by a public agency.

Q: What about other programs that are addressing the drop- out issue?

A: The Children’s Investment Fund is compatible and complementary with all community efforts engaged to fight this problem.  The Fund’s primary objective will be to provide targeted resources to those experienced and reputable non-profits working with the four  risk factors.

Sponsors of the Children’s Fund Initiative strongly support the work and objectives of the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and Priority Spokane.  The only differences
are in emphasis.  Priority Spokane has a goal of raising $1 million to focus on Middle School issues.  The Spokane Children’s Investment Fund will initially distribute $30 million in public funds to address the four major drop-out risk factors from birth to graduation.   

Q: How will the Children’s Investment Fund be held accountable?

A: Voters will approve a City Ordinance that will establish a property tax levy with a “sunset clause” at the end of six years. At that time citizens must vote on continuation of the levy or it ends. 

As presently envisioned the ordinance will call for an eleven-member volunteer Citizen’s Oversight Board appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. Members   of the board will consist of representatives from schools, business, labor and social service agencies.  The ordinance will not establish a new city department. 

The fund will be administered directly by the Citizen’s Oversight Board and administration costs will be limited to no more than five percent.

The Citizen’s Oversight Board will distribute funds to reputable non-profit organizations already addressing the four target areas and based on detailed grant applications that contain provisions for measurable outcomes and public accountability. It will be required by city ordinance to collect community feedback from all areas and interest groups of the city and present a yearly progress report to the community.