LWVC CHILDREN AND FAMILY POLICY:

LWVC is committed to the principles that all children are entitled to safe, nurturing care and that caring for children is a societal as well as a family responsibility. LWVC supports programs and policies that would effectively coordinate and integrate services that meet basic human needs, prevent or reduce poverty, and promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families.

STATE AND NATIONAL LEAGUE POSITIONS

State and Local Finances (LWVC)

This is the backdrop against which all budgetary decisions are made for children and families. The SLF position allows local Leagues to have an impact on budget decisions that impact children and families. The following statements are of particular relevance.

Position in brief:

Support measures to ensure revenues both sufficient and flexible enough to meet changing needs for state and local government services; that contribute to a system of public finance that emphasizes equity and fair sharing of the tax burden as well as adequacy; . . .Support a process that maintains statutory authority over tax sources, rates and tax expenditures; . . .

2. To ensure adequacy of revenue by:

          b. a variety of revenue sources available to local governments including a wide range of local taxes . .          c.local revenue sources including fees, with provision for persons unable to pay fees or charges levied on essential community wide services; and benefit assessments, when benefits accrue primarily to those paying . . 

           d. use by local governments of tax base sharing; state and federal assistance; and cost saving management techniques.

4. To ensure flexibility of revenue by:

           f. public program and funding priorities that give primary consideration to meeting the basic needs of the general population, attaining program objectives economically, and using procedures that promote flexibility and permit diversity of services;

           g. selective reductions within and among programs rather than across-the-board cutbacks when funding is reduced.

Education: Pre-Kindergarten through 12 (LWVC )

The Education position and the LWVUS Equality of Opportunity position allow us to address the needs of children in grades Pre-K through 12.

Position in brief:

Support a comprehensive pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade public education system that meets the needs of each individual student; challenges all students to reach their highest potential; develops patterns of life- long learning and responsible citizenship.

Support improvements in public education, based on access with both equitable and sufficient opportunities to learn for all students.

Support a system of public education funding that is adequate, flexible, equitable, reliable and sustainable; de- rived from a combination of revenue sources; distributed fairly to support access and equitable opportunities for all students.

Support formulating broad general guidelines at the state level, with flexibility at the local level for developing and implementing program.

Equality of Opportunity (LWVUS)

The Equality of Opportunity position supports:
Greatly increased educational opportunity through compensatory programs for disadvantaged groups beginning at the preschool level and extending through secondary education.