The Pre-K 4 SA campaign is launching a video showing preschoolers at San Antonio College’s Early Childhood Development Center talking about their school experience and asking voters for support.
The Pre-K initiative would add one-eighth of a cent to the sales tax generating $31 million per year to fund pre-K for 22,000 4-year-olds in the city. Mayor Julián Castro said Pre-K 4 SA would be the first of its kind in the state.
“[It] goes beyond the income guidelines to specifically reserve slots for people that make more than $42,000 for a family of four,” said Castro.
Castro said the end result for the early education program would close the achievement gap in reading and math by 10 percent. He’s asking voters who support the initiative to make a $7.81 contribution to the campaign.
Jeff Judson with the San Antonio Tea Party, who oppose the mayor's early education proposal, says the money generated from the tax could be better used elsewhere.
“$7.81 multiplied by millions of tax payers and businesses still equals a quarter of a billion dollars that's sucked out of the local economy,” Judson said. “The children that the campaign claims they’ll be sending to pre-K are all children who are already eligible for free high-quality pre-K today.”
If approved, the program will be re-evaluated in eight years when voters will decide if they want to keep it.
- More information on the Pre-K 4 SA program online
- Reasons to oppose Pre-K 4 SA from the San Antonio Tea Party
Watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6GwtMWJYnZs
