Northampton County's Juvenile Justice Center exists to rehabilitate children who've been found delinquent, teach them to change and then reunite them with their families. It has been one of the most successfully run institutions in the state, as evidenced by the contracts it maintains with 19 different counties to treat delinquent youth. It has even been a moneymaker from which the county received $1.6 million per year. But like Gracedale, ir is experiencing a staffing crisis. "We are hemorrhaging at the Juvenile Justice Center," declared Court Administrator Jermaine Greene at two separate council committee hearings last week. And he knows the cause of this crisis - low salaries.
The Juvenile Justice Center is budgeted to be staffed by 57 youth care workers. These are skilled positions requiring two years of college and a bachelor's degree for a supervisor. Their job is basically a combination of corrections officer and child psychologist. yet the $16.46 average salary has led to an exodus of workers who can flip burgers at Wendy's with far fewer headaches. According to Greene, there are currently 30 vacancies, which leaves a staff of just 24 people to supervise the children being housed, 24-7.
In November, the County began offering a signing bonus to new caseworkers, but that's been insufficient to stem the exodus.
These positions, incidentally, are union jobs. Employees are paid less than corrections officers even though their duties are similar. I have to wonder what the union was thinking when it negotiated these salaries and why the membership voted for it. In any event, the contract ends this year. In any event, Greene will have to ask the union to agree to higher wages.
County Council seemed supportive. After the meeting, Executive Lamont McClure said he believed this could be resolved.
Although County Council is considering a pay study, Greene made clear that "I don't have the luxury of waiting for a pay study." He said the County needs to act now."This facility is going to crumble if we don't act."
23 comments:
If County Execvui8tv Lamont McClure is so supportive, why did he have the Human Resources Office sit on the Court paperwork. That is a fact, check it out with the court. Atty McClure, your buddy has a lack of any managerial experience, and it is showing. What's even worse is he is stubborn, and pig headed. Not the qualities you want in a county executive.
Do you know he directed HR to sit on it? Jermaine states he was told she did not have time to get it ready. I find that very odd and says nothing good about Kaboly, but I am unprepared to conclude her delay was at McClure’s behest. He ran on protecting our most vulnerable and screamed bloody murder when CYF was understaffed, so your explanation makes no sense.
How about demanding more attention to the issue from our state reps? Flood represents me here in Forks now and sits on the Children and Youth Committee. Is she paying attention? Does she care about throwing more funding towards the County to help with the issue?
"He ran on protecting our most vulnerable"
Well, then if a politician promises that sweet message it must be true. Since he came in power, he canned th company running Gracedale well and put in his flunkies and the place is in worse shape than ever. The courts can't get their personnel paperwork done; employee morale is slow. Of course, his director gets no instructions form th most authoritarian exec in history.
So yes annnon 12:37 makes no sense, how dare anyone criticize your guy, McClure.
The beat goes on with story after story about poor management of county functions. This is the most hapless administration in the home rule era. Our administration is a microcosm of a county-wide problem with not being able to attract enough quality candidates. It's one thing to say you succeeded as executive because everyone got a little angry with you as things went well. But when everyone is angry while things are in the shitter, it's because you are are a horrible executive.
I worked there part-time in 1990 as my first job out of college for about 6 months until I was hired full time at Children and Youth. I think my hourly rate was about $13/hour. At Children and Youth, my starting salary was in the mid 30's (about $17/hour) It's deplorable that the pay rate has increased so little.
Welcome to working for the McClueless Administration. His campaign promises are lies. Get rid of them!!!!!!
The County had plenty of time to prepare for this and had plenty of time to do a pay study/survey that would have corrected the wages and produced full employment at the facility. When is County Council going to do this study they budgeted for? Problems at Gracedale, problems at the Juvenile enter, problems with the Sheriff's Department and an Administration that sits on their butts and does nothing. In a few short years the County has taken a full employment situation and turned it into a crisis. They screw the employees at every turn of the road. They make employees pay more for their medical benefits, higher co-pays, and now we're hearing big time grumbling coming from people who recently retired and are getting ready to retire. It's a good thing McClure had such a weak opponent or the County would have gone Republican. At least with the Republicans we knew we were going to get screwed.
Why won't Lehigh County send their juvenile delinquents so Northampton County's center? You would think that would be logical and cost less than what they are doing now! Wonder why?
The director of the center is no longer employed there! Why did he leave? There is an acting director currently that is involved in litigation with the EASD... Hmmmm
Where is council on the fact the JJ has a worse staffing percentage than Gracedale. The Commissioners talk about staffing everywhere else and have ignored the glaring issues of the failures of the court to manage the JJ Center. Why isn't Council holding the courts responsible?
Why not put Ken Kraft in charge... he fixed everything when he was on council and was the most productive member of that body and probably did more than all other members combined.
I will agree.. way under paid.. as are most county employees but stop comparing them to the COs . I can always tell when you here from ppl that have never been in a jail or clipped those keys on your hip. Two different worlds. Yes they have some dangerous kids ,but the seriously dangerous ones come to the COs. It like comparing apples and oranges. Both fruit but totally different.
Trust me the jail would be just as under staffed if they had the old standards for hiring.. Now if you can breath your hired. Hire anyone just keep the COs numbers up.
Lol. Yeah right...he is getting paid 90,000 a year to sit at the jail and do absolutely NOTHING!!! Just Lamont and chuck taking care of his boys. He might actually have to do something down there.
I would love to know why he is gone... but can beat my life the truth won't come out. He was Greene boy.. so something big must have happened..
"If County Execvui8tv Lamont McClure is so supportive, why did he have the Human Resources Office sit on the Court paperwork."
I reached out to Jermaine and am informed that HR has been supportive and cooperative. Kaboly was just unable to process the paperwork in the time needed. Given the staffing crisis in the county, her office might be quite busy. Greene made very clear that he felt no opposition at all.
"Why not put Ken Kraft in charge... he fixed everything when he was on council and was the most productive member of that body and probably did more than all other members combined."
That appointment is made by the courts, not the Exec.
Bring back Teflon Don Onembo
Trump had Newsmax.
McClure has Lehigh Valley Ramblings.
lol
All county workers were recently offered the opportunity to work part-time at Gracedale as a CNA with a commitment of at least two 4-hour or one 8-hour shift per weekend. Any chance county workers could fill-in here? I'm not cut out to be a CNA but could work with juveniles and would jump at the opportunity.
He was just like a lot of the men administrators, that work in the county, self entitled!!
That's an easy one!
As a former employee, it's all politics! He was his boy..but everyone was out to get him and waiting for him to make a mistake. It's Billman's world now..good luck.
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