Gov. Tina Kotek digs in heels on criticism of universal preschool program: ‘The program as it stands cannot keep its promise’

Governor Tina Kotek intensified her condemnation of Multnomah County’s attempt to provide tuition-free preschool on Thursday, saying the program and the tax that supports it are guaranteed to fail.

It is the latest in a string of attacks on the county’s closely watched initiative to provide 11,000 3- and 4-year-olds with free preschool by 2030. However, Kotek targeted the program itself this time, in contrast to her initial criticism, which mostly targeted the levy that pays for the preschool seats.

Making things better for our youngest students was one of the reasons I ran for governor, therefore from the start of my conversations with the county chair, my main focus has been on the program’s sustainability, Kotek noted in a statement. Children in Oregon cannot benefit from the program as it now exists.

In order to stop more affluent taxpayers from leaving the county, Kotek proposed in a letter to Chair Jessica Vega Pederson on June 10 that the county lower the Preschool for All tax rate or halt the tax completely. This was the beginning of the fight. She utilized obsolete statistics to support her claim that it was jeopardizing Portland’s economic recovery.

A last-minute proposal by Democratic lawmakers on Monday night would have completely terminated the county’s program by 2027, adding gasoline to the fire. Just hours after putting forward that attempt, lawmakers abandoned it on Tuesday. To voice their concerns and pose challenging questions to Vega Pederson and other county board members, however, they called a public meeting.

The creation of the universal preschool program and the imposition of taxes on high-income workers to fund it were supported by Multnomah County voters in 2020. However, since then, the program has faced harsh criticism, mostly due to the fact that it has generated a lot more money than it has spent and that it has been slow to serve the number of preschoolers that was initially promised.

The county program, which will provide 3,800 preschool spots in the fall, has consistently failed, according to Kotek.

According to Kotek’s statement on Thursday, the program is failing for a substantial number of families and the community at large. Children who ought to be eligible are not being given classroom seats. Since the law that started the program was passed, the economic environment has changed, so we need to plan ahead with a more realistic view of where we are right now.

Community organizations and the county Board of Commissioners have strongly reacted to lawmakers’ and Kotek’s attack on the county’s preschool program. In a statement released on Thursday, Vega Pederson expressed disappointment at the governor’s decision to intensify efforts to undermine a program that is effectively benefiting thousands of young children. According to the chair, Kotek and other local authorities have received almost 70,000 letters supporting the plan.

In solidarity with the county, a group of Preschool for All parents, educators, and supporters met on Wednesday to urge politicians to refrain from interfering with the local initiative.

According to Kotek and lawmakers, the county should abandon Preschool for All and instead collaborate with the state to develop a strategy to provide a comparable program throughout the entire state. Although they have stated that they have little faith in the state’s ability to deliver, Vega Pederson and other commissioners have endorsed the viewpoint.

Vega Pederson said that a statewide program that serves all Oregon children is very necessary. State leaders must concentrate on their own initiatives to completely finance and sustain their current early childhood education programs until that time comes.

To pay for the preschool program, the county takes 1.5% of any income earned by county residents who earn more than $125,000. The same rate is applicable to couples earning more than $200,000. On income over $250,000 for individuals and over $400,000 for joint filers, the tax rate increases to 3%.

Potential modifications to the tax that supports the program have been considered by the board. Last year, when the county decided to postpone a tax increase at Kotek’s request, Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards proposed indexing the income limits that determine who is subject to the tax to inflation.

Commissioner Shannon Singleton entered the debate on Thursday, stating that while she supports the tax modifications the board plans to make in the upcoming months, the state shouldn’t override the voters’ choice by doing away with the county program.

According to Singleton, families rely on Preschool For All for early childhood education and child care. That so many families who depend on this program to educate their children—particularly our Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income families—were adversely affected this week irritates me.

Austin De Dios reports on programs, politics, and other topics in Multnomah County. You can reach him at @AustinDeDios, adedios@oregonian.com, or 503-319-9744.

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