Improving schools/Pre-K for All in Kansas City, Missouri

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An initiative will appear on the April 2, 2019, ballot in Kansas City, Missouri, for a 3/8 cent sales tax to fund universal preschool, known locally as “Pre-K for All”.

There seems to be universal support among leaders in the Kansas City, Missouri, area for universal preschool. Opponents of this initiative have three primary concerns:

1. The proposed governance structure fails to provide adequate authority to public school systems, who are nominally responsible for education. Instead, oversight will be managed by an appointed board, on which all the schools, public, private and parochial, would share one seat.
2. The proposed plan would violate Article 9, section 8 of the Missouri Constitution, which prohibits any state or local government entity from providing public funds "in aid of any religious creed, church or sectarian purpose," including schools.
3. The revenue is generated with a regressive sales tax that will disproportionately impact the families that can least afford it.

The need

On 2018-11-14 Mayor James said that, "At a time when 50% of children enter the public schools in Kansas City behind both academically and emotionally, high-quality pre-K is a proven way to ensure that students start school ready to learn. We know that 40% of zip codes throughout the city – North, South, East, West – have a shortage of affordable, high-quality pre-K opportunities."

History

“kcmayor.org/pre-k” outlines the history of this issue starting in 2011. Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools (KCPS) Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell said that KCPS started studying this issue in 2013 and had a detailed proposal in 2016. However, they have so far been unable to find a way to pay for this through their traditional sources, property taxes and state funds.

Mayor James said that 12 or 13 other cities in the US are doing what he proposes: When the school boards proved unable to get the required funds from property tax or from their state legislature, the local mayors raised the sales tax to fund it.

Videos with transcripts of events by supporters and opponents

Videos with transcripts of events supported by supporters and opponents can be found as follows:

• A video of a presentation by Mayor James on this issue with a transcript is available in the Wikiversity article on “Improving Schools/Mayor James explains the 2019 “Pre-K for All” ballot initiative in Kansas City, Missouri”. Supporters include the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Communities Creating Opportunities, and the Fairview Christian Church in Gladstone, Missouri.
• A video of a press conference by opponents with a transcript is available at “Improving Schools/Opposition to the 2019 “Pre-K for All” ballot initiative in Kansas City, Missouri”. Speakers included the superintendents of the Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools (KCPS) and the North Kansas City, Missouri, Schools, plus leaders representing the Urban League and NAACP of Kansas City, Missouri, the Clay County, Missouri, Economic Development Commission, and others associated with KCPS. Opponents include the League of Women Voters of Kansas City / Jackson / Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri.

Current bill in the Missouri House of Representatives

Judy Morgan, who represents downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in the Missouri House of Representatives, has introduced HB 724, which “Enacts the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement and establishes a dedicated fund for early childhood education”. However, as of 2019-03-07, this bill has no co-sponsors and is “ currently not on a House calendar”.