As the time gets closer for adoption of the budget for the next school year, any additional source of funds to accommodate the budget’s needs are welcomed with open arms. It doesn’t really matter where the funds come from if they’re needed to satisfy a particular aspect of the budget. As we await the adoption of the state budget whose needs, in this difficult economy, will have a great deal to say in how we are able to put together our own, any unexpected funds that come our way can make our task at least a little easier.

When you examine budgets from past years, you’ll find that requirements for funding are often different from year to year because of a change in the types of programs which are included in the various budgets.

Sometimes a new program replaces one that needed funding in a past year in which case the money required often balances out. When a new program is added, however, that normally requires additional money and, especially in a year such as this, that often causes problems. It’s at a time like that that receipt of a grant can provide an unexpected answer.

There was a time, for example, when dealing with a gang presence in our schools was not considered a serious problem because there was a tendency on the part of many not to believe that we had such a presence in our system. When evidence which included a program on the subject conducted by law enforcement personnel from Cumberland County came to light indicating that we did indeed have gangs in our schools, it, of course, behooved us to take some action to deal with them. Needless to say, any such program required funding.

To help to answer that need, the Public Schools of Robeson County’s Helping Young People Excel program recently received a grant that will provide $395,594 to deal with combating gang violence in our schools.

Since the program is designed to counsel and train teachers, administrators and students to be familiar with gang culture so as to make the schools safer thus contributing to a reduction in dropout rates, it’s necessary to use the money to employ two social workers as well as one behavioral specialist. The latter will be responsible for all the training of both students and teachers. The social workers, on the other hand, will work with law enforcement, the courts, community agencies and, of course, the schools. The duties of the social workers will also include visiting students’ homes so that parents will be aware of any potential problems involving their children.

The amount of the grant coming to the Public Schools of Robeson County is a part of about $3 millions in crime and violence-fighting grants awarded to the southeastern part of North Carolina with the intention of making our communities, schools, businesses and homes safer. Hopefully, the effects of such a grant as a part of our budget will be to contribute to a brighter future for the entire area and its people.