Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Tomatoes ripen in the Dreams of Green Community Garden as sunflowers shine in the background Thursday. The community garden is one of the many programs that partners with the Shawano County University of Wisconsin-Extension’s family living educator.
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Nancy Schultz, the University of Wisconsin-Extension family living educator for Shawano County, was instrumental in the creation of SAM’s House, according to SAM25 President Muffy Culhane. The county is considering a plan to make the position part time.
Supporters of the University of Wisconsin-Extension family living educator position in Shawano County packed the county board chambers Wednesday to oppose a plan to make the job part time.
Seventeen speakers urged the supervisors to keep the position held by Nancy Schultz full time, and more than 25 others sitting in the gallery indicated their support when asked.
“We represent just some of the numerous organizations that have been positively impacted by the family living educator program,” said Chris Marcks, a Shawano resident who helped found the county’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program with the help of the Extension. “Together we provide much needed services to a significant number of families and individuals in Shawano County.”
The state’s decision in 2015 to slash $250 million from the UW System led to a $3.6 million budget cut for UW-Extension, prompting a restructuring for the organization. Starting Jan. 1, the local office, which serves about 30,000 people annually, will be part of a four-county region overseen by a regional director who also is responsible for staff in Menominee, Oconto and Marinette counties.
Under a plan approved in July by the county agriculture and extension committee, two positions in the local office would be trimmed from full time to half time in 2018: the community resource development educator and the family living educator.
The family living educator provides guidance with parent education, nutrition, health and volunteerism. Community resource development is focused on economic development and tourism.
The county board is not scheduled to vote on the issue until October, when it finalizes its budget.
Marcks told the board that the county has improved its health ranking from 62nd out of 72 counties to 47th with the help of Schultz. Momentum could be lost if the county makes the position part time, she said.
“The cost of poor health is astronomical,” Marcks said. “We need to make this investment.”
The board also heard from representatives of Leadership Shawano County, Shawano Pathways, Community Health Action Team, Home and Community Education, and other charities and organizations about how the position benefits the community in a way that cannot be defined by tax dollars.
Muffy Culhane, president of Shawano Area Matthew 25, which operates a homeless shelter in Shawano, talked about the community’s homeless shelter and told the board that “without a doubt, SAM25 would not be where we are today without the family living educator.”
“Strengthening families here in Shawano County also strengthens the community,” said Janet Lane, a representative for the Home and Community Education. “Without this full-time position, I can see the progress we’ve made either wither or struggle. Now is not the time to limit resources.”
Local resident Winnie Preston noted that the family living educator helps with programs, such as food pantries and community gardens, that provide food to hungry youngsters. She said half of the children in Shawano County are “food insecure,” meaning that they are not receiving enough healthy foods to develop properly.
“The Dreams of Green Community Garden was started 12 years ago in a vacant lot by Zion Lutheran Church,” Preston said. “Now there are 48 families involved in this garden. They buy their own seeds, provide their own labor, develop their own plot, and they get to eat everything they raise.”
The Rev. Scott Ludford, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Shawano, said the church is the first one he has served that works in partnership with the county to serve the community. The family living educator has made a difference to Ludford’s 900-member congregation, he said.
“A strong congregation of any faith reaches out into the community beyond its own doors,” Ludford said. “I’m proud to say that this congregation has been able to do that because of the position that you’re looking to cut. I think it would be a crime to do so.”
Mindy Frimodig, a ThedaCare physician, said she understands the tough position the county is with the UW budget cuts, but fears cuts to family living programs will impact her patients’ health.
“We are nowhere near the point where we have too many resources, especially for the most vulnerable in our communities,” Frimodig said.
The Leader could not reach Schultz for comment.