A pitch to merge the Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GFCP) with a state agency has left some in Bryan County urging lawmakers to oppose the proposition.

In his 2012 budget, Gov. Nathan Deal proposed moving the GFCP under the Governor’s Office for Children and Family (GOCF). Combining the two agencies would save money on administrative costs, according to a spokesperson from the governor’s office.

But Wendy Sims, the director of the Bryan County Family Connection (BCFC), said merging the two agencies would change the goals and services for families and children in Georgia.

“A different organization will not have the same passion and fire that the partnership has currently,” she said.

The GFCP is a public/private partnership that gets a guaranteed grant from the state every year, Sims explained. There are 159 partnerships in Georgia, one in each county. The partnership was created 20 years ago to coordinate services for educational, social, economic and well-being of children.

GOCF was created in 2008, merging four agencies, according to its website. It is tasked with prevention, intervention and treatment for children.

For more, pick up a copy of the Feb. 2 edition of the News.