Annsville earns national honor, but fights for its life
By DEBORAH A. MILES
The good news is the Annsville
Residential Center in Oneida County, a state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facility, was recently recognized as the first juvenile justice residential center in the nation to earn the distinction of being a Certified Sanctuary site. You would think OCFS Commissioner
Gladys Carrion, who has been pushing the Sanctuary program, would be proud of the Annsville staff and use their program as a model. Instead, Carrion has targeted Annsville
for closure. “This is sheer hypocrisy,” said PEF
President Ken Brynien. “The commissioner promotes a program that she believes will rehabilitate troubled youths. But when our members are honored for implementing a successful program, Carrion tries to empty the facility and put a deadbolt on its doors.” PEF Division 334 Secretary-Treasurer
Jane Wenham said the 16 members who work at the center are trying to keep
it open. “One of our members reached out to
state Assembly Member David Townsend, who replied by e-mail he would do everything he could to keep Annsville open,” Wenham said. Members also placed signs around the
town that caught the interest of local residents and the media. If Annsville were to close and merge
with its’ neighbor facility, Taberg, it would mean about half the Annsville staff would be out of their jobs. Brynien said the staff that may be lost
are the ones trained and experienced with the Sanctuary program. “We think Gladys Carrion is just trying
to make us look bad, despite the fact we earned the honor of being the only certified Sanctuary site in the country. “The staff here provides education,
structure and a safe environment. We take these youths out of neighborhood gangs, where they are a threat to communities. They have carried guns and knives. Here, they go to school every day and learn essential life skills,” Wenham said.
PS&T Educational benefits improved
Educational benefits for PEF’s members in the PS&T unit just got better. The joint Professional Development Committee (PDC), which develops these benefits
under the PS&T contract, approved several changes in March, effective April 1. These changes include: • Increased benefit amounts – In response to increased tuition rates for the state
University of New York (SUNY) system, PS&T Contract Article 15 will now pay more for
most college-credit courses. (See chart for details.)
• Name change – The Voucher Alternative Program (VALT) is now the “Workshop
and Seminar Reimbursement Program” (WSR) and the reimbursement amount has increased from $600 to $1,000. It will continue to reimburse eligible PS&T-Unit employees for attending non-credit professional development courses, workshops, conferences, seminars and credit by examination, such as CLEP and DANTES, given by accredited providers. • Online registration – Article 15 educational program applications are available
online starting April 1. You can complete the application, submit it, and check on its status without calling anyone. If you don’t have Internet access, contact the PEF Education Department for a
paper application. However, all members are encouraged to apply online since that process will guide them through the application and is expected to reduce processing time and improve tracking for the member.
Maximum PSTP payments
Voucher Program; Nurses Enhanced Pilot Voucher Program; College Tuition Reimbursement (CTR) Program; and Nurses Enhanced CTR Program:
Course type
Undergraduate, up to 3 credits Undergraduate, 4 credits or more Graduate, up to 3 credits Graduate, 4 credits or more
Previous rate New rate
$600
$725
$1,200 $1,200
All non-credit courses, workshops and seminars $600
Page 8—The Communicator April 2010
$621 $828
$1,200 $1,396
Workshop & Seminar Reimbursement (WSR) Program (formerly VALT) and Nurses EnhancedWSR Program:
$1,000
—Sherry Halbrook
Wenham also said the OCFS human
resources representative was supposed to have more meetings with the staff at Annsville and Taberg to let everyone know where they stand. “They haven’t been back,” Wenham
said. “Right now, we have only two youths at
Annsville. OCFS does not seem to be sending any more. Before you know it, it will be zero, and then it will be closed.” PEF is running ads and lobbying
lawmakers to keep Annsville open, and stop the closure of the boys program at Tryon and downsizing the Lansing Non- Secure Residential Facility.
Members doing the ‘Write’ Thing
So far, more than a dozen PEF members
have participated in PEF’s Do the “Write” Thing campaign by writing to the editors of their local newspapers. PEF President Ken Brynien said it’s a
good start, but more letters are needed. “PEF, as a union, has the responsibility
to protect and promote the work our members do. In times, such as now, when the state is experiencing a major fiscal crisis, we need the involvement of our members more than ever,” Brynien said. The purpose of this statewide campaign
is to get the word out to as many newspapers and online venues as possible. When you read an article or editorial, or hear a news report that attacks the state work force, respond. “As one taxpayer to another, we need to
remind the public about the essential services our members provide,” Brynien said. You can participate in the campaign by
sending a letter to your local newspaper, e- mailing it to political blogs or calling a talk show. If you are writing a letter, keep it under
250 words. Focus on a specific point that highlights a member or the specific services he provides. Everyone is concerned about money.
Write about how PEF members in your agency save the state millions, as compared to the cost of private consultants. After your letter is written, you can send
dmiles@pef.org.
—Deborah Miles
PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445
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