Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
Voters appear to have approved the reauthorization of the early childhood education initiative Pre-K 4 SA for another 20 years through the continuation of a one-eighth-cent sales tax.
In addition to operating four early education centers throughout San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA provides professional development for community educators, connects childcare centers and aims to strengthen the whole childcare ecosystem.
With early voting results in, Proposition A leads 72% to 28%, with more than 227,000 votes in favor. The results are unofficial, and Election Day ballots are still being counted.
During the Aug. 13 San Antonio City Council meeting, the council voted 7-2 to place Pre-K 4 SA on the ballot, two years earlier than expected.
Sarah Baray, the chief executive officer of Pre-K 4 SA, said the initiative is authorized under the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 379A, otherwise known as the Better Jobs Act. It allows cities to leverage local sales tax for the purpose of certain workforce development initiatives, including early childhood education.
Voters first approved the creation of the initiative with the one-eighth-cent sales tax in 2012 for an eight-year period. Pre-K 4 SA gained reauthorization for another eight years in 2020. Prior to reauthorization, Baray said the program was funded through June of 2029.
During the August council meeting, Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez spoke to the measure’s early placement on the ballot.
“It’s because of the great need that our city has, the great work that Pre-K 4 SA is doing, and the confidence that I have and that many of us on council have in the program to bridge that gap, as well as the urgency of the moment that we’re in, that we’re calling on an early reauthorization so that it will grant much more stability and financial capacity to meet our community’s needs,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
Some councilmembers raised concerns about the early timeline and longer renewal period, highlighting the release of data surrounding Pre-K 4 SA’s first graduating seniors coming later this fall and a need for more information on the strategic plan.
Councilmembers Misty Spears and Marc Whyte ultimately voted against placing Pre-K 4 SA on the midterm ballot for a 20-year authorization.
Elaine Mendoza, a co-chair of the political action committee Renew Pre-K 4 SA, previously explained to Texas Public Radio how the 20-year reauthorization would better support the initiative compared to the previous eight-year authorizations.
She said the longer timeline gives its educators more stability and allows Pre-K 4 SA to work on building up its partnerships.
It also enables Pre-K 4 SA to look at better long-term structures. Two of its education centers are under leases.
“Right now, the city owns two buildings,” Mendoza said. “Will we own the other two buildings? That’s a strategy, a cost-saving strategy, but you can’t do that in eight-year chunks.”
Last year, the one-eighth-cent sales tax generated approximately $51.7 million of the program’s approximate $61 million in annual revenue, according to the PAC’s website.
