Tight budgets could make for lost futures

Photo property of the TC Palm
Photo by Deborah Silver

Simon Youth Foundation President and CEO J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., is currently touring some of our nationwide academies. While visiting the Simon Youth Academy at Indian River Commons in Vero Beach, Fla., he worked with administrators on ways to save the school. Despite strong success since opening in 2007, difficult budget realities facing the local school district, our partner, Indian River County Schools, have put the academy's future in jeopardy. Durnil, photographed by photojournalist Deborah Silver at left, spoke to the TC Palm, the local newspaper, about the academy's uncertain future, saying school systems throughout the country must try to save programs that benefit at-risk youth otherwise "it's a lost future" for too many students. You can read the full story at the link to the paper's website below.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/11/indian-river-schools-simon-mall-dropout-program/