IN SPORTS: Gamecocks entertain Conway in boys’ high school basketball
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Hand-casting project hopes to unify races A3 FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
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Reward is changing someone’s life Becoming a foster parent has positive effect on adult, child BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Chris Whitaker says he thinks being a foster parent for a special-needs child will change the youth’s life and yours in a positive and most rewarding way. Whitaker is a recruiter/family finder for the South Carolina Youth Advocate Program, which is the state’s No. 1 provider of foster care for children with special needs — also known as therapeutic foster care. According to SCYAP, therapeutic
foster care is a higher level of care to children and youth whose emotional, behavioral and psychiatric problems prevent them from succeeding in regular foster care WHITAKER provided by the South Carolina Department of Social Services. SCYAP also serves children with developmental delays and significant medical issues. Similar to regular foster care, Whitaker says anyone considering
therapeutic foster care should approach it as short term and temporary because the primary goal initially is to reunify the child with his or her natural family. “The personal rewards are you can make a difference in a child’s life every day by opening up your heart and home to a child in need,” Whitaker said. “You can ensure the child is safe and receives all the educational and health services they need while they’re transitioning back to their regular environment and home.”
MORE INFORMATION Anyone interested in becoming a foster parent or interested in having Chris Whitaker of the South Carolina Youth Advocate Program speak at a local event on the need for foster families can contact him at (803) 779-5500 at SCYAP in Columbia. For more information on the program, visit the agency’s website at www.scyap.com.
Founded in 1990, SCYAP is a private, nonprofit child-placing and
SEE REWARD, PAGE A4
Life is a beach
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
The caption of this 2001 photo by Keith Gedamke reads “City of Sumter workers James Swinton and Ashton Taylor are not cleaning the beach but are actually weeding along North Sumter Street on Wednesday afternoon.” The Sumter Item photographer, who lost his battle with cancer Saturday, won first place for this photo in 2001 in the South Carolina Press Association’s Feature Photo category. In the background is Blue Sky’s mural “Winter Beach.” Judges of the contest said, “We had to look twice at this picture to figure out if it was a real beach. Perfect composition and placement of workers really fooled us.” See more of Keith’s photos on page A7.
District details termination of 34 jobs Family will hold 12 eliminated at district office, 22 in schools BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com In response to its current debt crisis, Sumter School District will terminate 34 employees effective Tuesday — the last day of the month. The job cuts are part of Superintendent Frank Baker’s emergency financial plan, which was adopted by the district’s board of trustees on Jan. 12 to preserve more than $6 million in cash through June 30. The cost-cutting measures have been made so other bills could be paid and the district could end this fiscal year with as close to a balanced budget as possible, the board’s attorney — William “Bick” Halligan — has said. In Baker’s emergency plan, 47 positions were eliminated from the
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budget, but 13 were already vacant. Cutting the 47 positions will preserve $1.1 million in the budget through June 30, according to district calculations. Personnel represents more than 80 percent of any school district’s budget in the state, so job cuts were needed, according to Baker and Halligan. Of the 34 employees losing jobs, 12 (or 35 BAKER percent) are housed at the district office and 22 at individual schools. A total of 18 of the 28 schools in the district are affected by the personnel losses. Only one classroom teacher is losing a job, and that individual is an at-will employee and not under a contract. A total of 30 of the 34 job cuts are
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in three categories: 12 “classified” employees, which are essentially departmental support staff; 10 in custodial/maintenance; and eight in support services, which includes guidance counselors, social workers, nurses and others. Three administrative staff members (program directors and coordinators) are losing jobs, and one employee in food services is being terminated. A total of $6.3 million will be saved through the cash-preservation efforts in Baker’s emergency plan, which also includes a 25 percent reduction in all stipends, elimination of overtime where feasible and limiting numerous budget line items by 50 percent. All annual stipends were originally cut by 50 percent for the fiscal
event for missing college student BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com The family of a Morris College student who has been missing since 2010 will hold an event to seek information about his disappearance on Saturday. On Jan. 30, 2010, Brandon Rodrigues Graves disappeared after a homecoming event, according to a news GRAVES release from Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He was last seen at Sebastian’s Night Club, now called Center Stage, at 3289 Broad St.
SEE JOBS, PAGE A4
DEATHS, B5 Ruth Anderson Bonnie Grubb McLeod Wesley Kind Sr. Daniel Melnick Marie M. Young
Belphine James Cynthia Maple-Hudson Ruth Johnson James P. Belser Liddia F. Wilson
SEE STUDENT, PAGE A4
WEATHER, A12
INSIDE
SUNNY
2 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES VOL. 122, NO. 75
Cooler with plenty of sunshine. Tonight, clear and chilly. HIGH 56, LOW 31
Classifieds B6 Comics A10 Opinion A11 Television A8-A9