The U.S. House of Representatives passed a spending bill Saturday to cut $61 billion from the federal government’s budget, which could affect the relationship between Syracuse University and Say Yes to Education.

The budget cuts may cause the U.S. Department of Education to rescind a $400,000 grant to SU that supports the Syracuse Say Yes program, said Pat Driscoll, who will become the Syracuse Say Yes leader in March. Where the cuts will be made has not yet been determined.

Driscoll said he understands the nationwide desire to cut back on earmarks for various programs, but he hopes local delegates will see the importance of the program and preserve the $400,000 grant.

‘I certainly understand Congress’ mission of trying to do more with less,’ Driscoll said. ‘My hope is that our local delegates, whether local or federal, will see how important Say Yes to Education is for families in the Syracuse area and advocate for funding to keep the program moving forward.’

Say Yes to Education Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the academic performance of students in urban areas. Syracuse has adopted the program and reached out to all public schools in the city, providing services to families and children in the area. One service includes financial aid support for those who complete the program and choose to go to a Say Yes-affiliated university, such as SU.

Out of the total grant money, $132,000 has already been used for afterschool programs in elementary schools, said Kevin Quinn, SU’s senior vice president for public affairs. The rest of the money would also go toward those programs, he said.

If the remainder of the funds were rescinded, it would be the first time the government has taken funds back from SU after a contract was in place, Quinn said.

But even if SU loses the grant, Driscoll said he does not expect it to affect the relationship between the university and the Say Yes program.

‘SU is a key player, especially when it comes to resources,’ Driscoll said. ‘I don’t think this will impact the relationship between Say Yes and SU, it’s just an obstacle right now.’

Quinn agreed and said the university is strongly committed to the Say Yes program.

SU officials have already reached out to representative Ann Marie Buerkle and New York state Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to showcase the importance of the funding for the Say Yes program, Quinn said.

Driscoll said he does not know when SU or the Say Yes program will find out if the grant will be rescinded. It is unclear at the moment how many students will be affected if the grant is taken away, Driscoll said. He said he hopes it will affect only some of the operations within the Say Yes program, but if the grant is rescinded, other resources will be explored, including making an appeal to officials to reinstate the money, he said.

‘SU and the Say Yes program would certainly work to ensure that our schools and the children are not impacted by any loss in funding,’ Quinn said. ‘We certainly hope that we’re able to utilize all the funding to support the program.’

snbouvia@syr.edu

Published on February 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephanie: snbouvia@syr.edu | @snbouvia