Agencies scramble to deal with cuts

COLUMBIA -- State agency officials are scrambling to figure out how to deal with deep budget cuts, but three things seem certain for the fiscal year that starts Thursday: Thousands of state workers and teachers will lose their jobs, people will have to wait longer for services, and fees will increase.

Specific numbers on jobs and programs that will be cut remain largely uncertain.

The nearly $5 billion state spending plan for 2010-11 is $2 billion less than it was two years ago. The House upheld 51 of Gov. Mark Sanford's 107 vetoes two weeks ago, cutting an additional $48 million. State senators upheld four more Tuesday, totaling $247,000, but largely spared a further stripping of the budget.

"Lots of needs haven't been met," said Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, adding the state needs more jobs to add revenue.

While senators initially voted to uphold cuts to film industry incentives, search and rescue operations, school bus fuel, and the replacement of decade-old computer textbooks and software for technology students, they later undid those votes and overturned the vetoes.

Agencies gutted by Sanford's vetoes include the state Department of Consumer Affairs, which aims to prevent and resolve cases of business fraud, and licenses various groups and industries, such as pawn- and mortgage brokers. It will survive, but complaints may take longer to resolve, administrator Brandolyn Pinkston said.

The agency will no longer operate offices around the state, and its 36 remaining workers must take one day off every two weeks without pay, she said.

"We are still taking their complaints," Pinkston said, adding it's the only agency with that role. "We have to do what we have to do."

With state funding for education basics back to 1995 levels, South Carolina's public schools are expected to cut between 2,100 and 3,800 jobs, including up to 2,500 teachers, according to an Education Department survey of school districts.

Parents will likely notice more students in spartan classrooms, fewer field trips, fewer teachers' aides in younger grades, and thermostats set lower in winter and higher in summer, state agency spokesman Jim Foster said. More districts could also forgo hiring substitutes when teachers are out, and instead divvy students to other classes, a money-saver started in the spring, he said.

Districts also will likely increase fees, including new ones for athletics and other extracurricular activities, he said.

Whether the state has enough money to fuel and maintain school buses for the year will depend on the cost of diesel. If prices spike, there won't be enough to take students to and from school, Foster said.

Other programs cut include in-home meal delivery that helps seniors stay in their homes, cancer screening and a prescription program for HIV/AIDS patients.

With the recession causing demand for its services to rise, the Department of Social Services is predicting it won't have the money to adequately protect at-risk children and vulnerable adults, or to help families meet basic needs. The agency eliminated 120 jobs last month, bringing to 500 the number lost in the last two years. The hiring freeze and furloughs will continue, according to the agency.

A $500,000 veto upheld for the Department of Alcohol and Other Abuse Services, which already has seen its state funding cut in half, means people who need help will have to wait longer. The agency already has closed two detox programs and other services.

"The hope is that we won't see people falling through the cracks, but they won't be getting the level of care," agency spokesman Jimmy Mount said. "That's not saying we won't lose a few people along the way."

While there are no plans to close state parks or welcome centers, hours will be adjusted, and some visitors may feel they're all alone. On days when visitation is usually low, parks and historic sites could be down to one ranger, said Marion Edmonds, spokesman for Parks, Recreation and Tourism, which has seen a 30 percent cut in its budget over two years.