Teens urge Baker: Reverse cut to jobs program
Advocates and teenagers called on Gov. Charlie Baker Thursday to reverse his reduction in funding for youth jobs and increase appropriations for such programs next month in his first budget proposal.
About 800 teens from Worcester, Brockton, Boston, Medford and Springfield joined youth jobs advocates for a rally inside Old South Church in Boston, saying Baker had cut funding for 160 youth jobs as part of his effort to close a $768 million mid-year state budget gap.
If Baker’s budget proposal keeps funding for youth jobs at $10 million - the same level as in fiscal 2015 - the program will be able to fund 1,194 fewer jobs this summer and next summer, or roughly 20 percent of all jobs. That's due to the minimum wage increase that went into effect in January, they said. Under a law approved in 2014, the state's minimum wage rose from $8 to $9 an hour on Jan. 1, and is scheduled to rise to $10 an hour in 2016 and $11 an hour in 2017.
Dylan Lazerow, a 26-year-old organizer with the Youth Jobs Coalition, acknowledged they were in an "ironic situation," since they advocated for the minimum wage increase.
"That loss of a thousand jobs is going to impact electricity bills, college readiness, even high school graduation," and youth jobs lead to higher graduation rates and less violent crime among teens, he said.
"Every penny is significant," said Jaelle Sanon, an 18-year-old senior at the O'Bryant High School in Boston and an organizer with the Youth Jobs Coalition.
Bill Vernon, the Massachusetts state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said small businesses have traditionally provided a role in providing summer jobs, as well as after-school and weekend jobs, for young people.
Elected officials have pressed large businesses on youth jobs, with mixed results, he said.
"To be frank, the resources to provide these opportunities are in the private sector," Vernon said in an email. "There is no way the public sector can afford to meet the need. The answer is to lower costs for small businesses to hire a teen worker."
In late January, the Baker administration and Democratic legislative leaders agreed that tax revenues in fiscal 2016 are likely to grow by about 4.8 percent and Baker has recently stepped up his warnings that unless the MassHealth program is addressed, its growing costs will crowd out potential funding for scores of other government services.
Youth job advocates held a gubernatorial campaign forum in October, said Sanon, and Baker attended and expressed support for youth jobs.
"In that room of about, like, 300 teens on that one October day, he said that 'I support youth jobs, I support your future,' and today, it's just one act of holding him accountable," Sanon said.
Baker's budget is expected to be filed March 4. The 2016 fiscal year starts July 1.
In seeking a fix for the $768 million deficit in the $36.5 billion fiscal 2015 budget, Baker pointed to overspending as the main driver and cautioned that state government must live "within its means."
"We know it's going to be a hard road," Lazerow said, adding that the teenagers planned to lobby House and Senate lawmakers as their versions of the fiscal 2016 budget are released later this year.
Lazerow said advocates are pushing for $13 million for the YouthWorks teen jobs program, which provides grants to 16 regional workforce investment boards for placing teens in government and nonprofit jobs. That's a 30 percent increase from the $10 million funding level.
Teens and other advocacy groups affiliated with the Youth Jobs Coalition are also pressing for $5 million for a "school to career" teen jobs program, a separate line item, which would be up from $2.75 million in fiscal 2015.
Funding for a youth violence reduction program is also on their agenda. Called the "Safe and Successful Youth Initiative," the program received $4.6 million fiscal year 2015, down from $8.8 million fiscal year 2014. Advocates are seeking $9.5 million in fiscal year 2016.
The Baker administration didn't respond to a request for comment.
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