By BERNIE HORNICK
BERLIN — Mother of three Christine Wilson doesn’t know where to turn.
As lawmakers approach a second full month without passing a state budget, Community Action Partnership of Somerset County had little choice but to cut her hours and pay as a Head Start teacher.
She now is working 26 hours instead of the usual 40 and, with a cut in her pay scale besides, Wilson figures she’ll be out $11,000.
And she is poised to lose her health insurance.
Wilson remembers receiving the letter containing the bad news.
“My first thought was I was thankful I still have a job because a lot of people are unemployed right now,” she said Thursday.
“But then my second thought was, ‘How am I going to make it financially with my children with all the expenses we incur over a month’s time?’ ”
And now that she is making less, she will be expected to pay more of her health insurance premiums. The Community Action Partnership – the former Tableland – uses a formula based on gross wages to calculate an employee’s medical coverage.
“I’m not sure if I can afford it or need to seek other coverage,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t afford to have the whole family on medical, or I’d be paying Tableland.”
Fortunately, medical care for her three teens is covered through a state program. And her husband, Shannon, has employer-provided health insurance for himself. She can be covered under his plan at Abilene Boot Co. in Somerset but, again, the family pays more even as it earns less.
“I may have to go without it and pray that I stay healthy,” she said.
Belt-tightening all around is the order of the day in the Wilson household.
“No frivolous spending. Everything on a need basis. Not traveling to see family out of state. It’s frustrating,” the seven-year Head Start worker said.
CAP Director Jeff Masterson said the agency actually has laid off 16 people outright from its pre-K programs and cut full-day classes to a half day while it waits for the budget crisis to be resolved.
“It’s sickening,” Wilson said simply.
She laments for lost Head Start instruction time, and she has a message for Harrisburg and its home-grown budget crisis.
“They need to wake up and realize that they’re hurting not only the children but the families.
“They’re taking away a lot of jobs from our counties,” Wilson said.
