Area school administrators say a Senate vote Tuesday could eliminate funding for AmeriCorps is a bad idea and could ruin a positive effort.

AmeriCorps is a national service program based on the same concept as the Peace Corps, but focuses on problems in the United States.

The program was proposed and mandated by President Bill Clinton and provides services in education, public safety, human needs and the environment by giving students a chance to work in exchange for money for college.

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SIUC AmeriCorps Coordinator Kathie Lorentz said there are 40 AmeriCorps members throughout Southern Illinois, 10 of which are SIUC students who work as tutors and mentors for children grades five through eight.

They are really making a tremendous difference in area schools, Lorentz said. It gives students a chance to go to school and pay the expenses they may accrue.

A Tuesday a 52-47 Senate vote Tuesday defeated an attempt to save the amendment that would have reinstated $425 million in financing for the National and Community Service which oversees the AmeriCorps program.

The funding was eliminated from the Senate budget proposal by a Senate committee. Both the House and Senate are attempting to devise budget proposals to present to President Clinton.

Candy Myers, principal for Thomas Intermediate School in Carbondale, said they have three AmeriCorps workers who help children at the school, and she was very disappointed the Senate voted against the funding amendment.

We do a lot of corporate learning at Thomas School a lot of hands on, Myers said The more people we have working on a project, the more chance of success we have.

Myers said having AmeriCorps students working at her school is beneficial because it provides a positive role model for the school’s children.

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They officially just started working here this week but have been coming here since school started to get adjusted, she said. They have brought a positive element to our school.

Chris Rigdon, principal and superintendent for Giant City School, said the four AmeriCorps workers there seem very interested in the kids and serve as a bridge between school and the real world.

Rigdon said having the AmeriCorps workers provides a symbol for the kids that they could have a positive future.

Aaron Hoyt, a senior in elementary education from Centralia, is an AmeriCorps worker at Thomas Intermediate School and said the program has helped him to learn what his limits were.

I’m learning just as much from these kids as I have learned in my college classes, Hoyt said. This is a very important program because it helps out elementary schools and kids.

Some people, including Lorentz, said they expect Clinton to override the Senate’s vote.

When it’s finally cut, then I’ll worry, Lorentz said.

David Carle, spokesperson for Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., said Clinton could rescue the program because he only needs 60 votes to override the Senate’s decision.

Carle said Simon voted against the final passage of the amendment, and the vote against AmeriCorps was a Republican effort to take away a program that meant a lot to President Clinton.

It was a great program, he said. It was working precisely as outlined by the president.