Jacksonville Urban League President & CEO Richard Danford’s Statement on JUL Actions in relation to the application of the “Sequestration Act.”
In preparation for the impacts of the “Sequestration Act” my staff and I have closely reviewed all federally funded Jacksonville Urban League programs. Our two-track approach focuses on minimizing the impact of this sequestration on both client services and the employees involved these programs.
We have communicated with employees, and we are in communication with people across our community in regards to potential impact that results from the failure of our elected officials to reach an agreement.
Initial cuts will come only in those programs funded by the Federal government. If a compromise is not reached in Washington, eventually some State-funded programs will be affected. However, in the first phase, funding cuts will only affect Federal Government funded programs, including Early Head Start and Head Start.
At this time the Federal Government has not given us information on specific level of fund reductions. However, again, our primary goal is to minimize the impact on our clients, especially young children and their parents.
In regards to our employees and potential cuts, we will – if at all possible – avoid layoffs. While we do now have job vacancies, as of today we’ve put a hiring freeze in-place. There may be a need to both reduce benefits and number of days worked, but we want to keep our employees whole, as we modify our expenditures.
As we receive instructions, as to the specific amount of dollars we will need to cut, we will inform our clients, the media and the communities we serve of the actions we will take in order to fulfill Federal guidelines.
We thank you for your cooperation and patience as we continue to carry out our mission during these challenging times.
