I hope many of you read the article in Monday’s Times-Picayune about the Inspector General’s report on the city budget process. Especially interesting (but not surprising) to me was the part about how the City of New Orleans spends considerably less for recreation funding compared to other cities. I was able to obtain a copy of the report and it was both enlightening and depressing. In many, many categories the City spent considerably more than the other cities (Toledo, Corpus Christi, Atlanta, St. Louis, Wichita, Cincinnati, Baton Rouge and Tampa) – areas like sanitation, police, “executive functions” and others. But, when it comes to parks and recreation services, New Orleans spends significantly less – $33 dollars person. The average city spends $65 – with Tampa and Baton Rouge at the high end, spending $102 and $89 respectively. As a city, we must commit to investing more in our youth!
Initiating Success for New Orleans Afterschool
