In Boulder County’s Daily Camera, an editorial [free reg. req.] bemoans a reduction in support for mental health services in that area of Colorado (US). Although no programs expressly aimed at children and youth are described among the various services provided by the non-profit center, it is just this sort of cost cutting that undermines other programs actually providing services to children and youths.
Primarily, the loss is due to a decrease in state funding. Boulder County voters have been generous to our top-notch social services. But the bad news was summed up in a May 2 Daily Camera story: “Colorado has one of the lowest state-tax collection rates in the nation.” The repeated reduction of state income tax rates since 1998 and the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights have brought us to this point.
This matters to clients and their families, who worry what will happen if their programs are eliminated. But beyond simple compassion, taxpayers also should be concerned, because when left untreated, some clients will cost the state even more money.
Those of us concerned with special education for students with EBD should make sure that we support mental health efforts for many of those same children and youth.
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