Opinion

Strong case exists for pre-K plan

Mayor Julian Castro (right) and USAA CEO Joe Robles discuss the results of a pre-kindergarten study. Mayor Julian Castro (right) and USAA CEO Joe Robles discuss the results of a pre-kindergarten study. Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Strong case exists for pre-K plan 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

If the city had the resources to do so, could it make a significant impact on the local educational system? If so, how could it best put those resources to use? Those were the questions Mayor Julián Castro gave to a blue-ribbon panel of business and education leaders headed by USAA CEO Joe Robles and H-E-B Chairman and CEO Charles Butt.

After more than a year examining these issues, Castro's Brainpower Initiative Task Force came back with its findings last month. Yes, the panel said, the city can make a difference. The best way to do so, it found, was to focus on pre-kindergarten education. While the public needs greater clarity on some details, the case they make is compelling.

There are about 20,000 4-year-olds in San Antonio. Approximately 4,000 of them either lack access to full-day pre-K programs or are eligible but not enrolled. The Brainpower Initiative would target this group that slips through the cracks of federal, state and local school district eligibility with a pre-K program modeled on national best practices.

Children who arrive at kindergarten unprepared enter the public education system at a major disadvantage. Often, that disadvantage becomes permanent. Numerous studies show the benefits of pre-K education, from decreasing the likelihood of being placed in special education classes or being held back to increasing graduation rates.

The benefits of the initiative wouldn't be reserved to this group of 4,000 children annually. By offering training and professional development for local public and private school teachers, the initiative would raise the bar for pre-K education across the city.

Funding would come from the 1/8-cent sales tax below the statutory cap of 8.25 percent that the city does not yet collect — about $29 million annually. Just because that 1/8-cent is not collected doesn't mean it should be — unless there's a good reason. The benefits of investing in pre-K provide that reason.

The Brainpower Initiative proposal is particularly appealing because it is not open-ended. Voters would have to renew the 1/8-cent tax in five years to continue the program. By then, enough data will be available to render a judgment on the initiative's efficacy.

Critics have raised legitimate concerns about the initiative's target population, its cost and how the metrics will be developed to determine success or failure. While the Brainpower Initiative's goals are worthy, its proponents will need to thoroughly address those questions to gain the public's support for this $140 million educational experiment.