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There's a lot of information in the 41-page report proponents prepared for Multnomah County Measure 26-214, which would fund preschool for eligible county children, many of them from low-income families of color.
"Preschool is a powerful force for good. It has real, lasting positive impacts for children and families," says the measure's architect, Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, in the preface to the report.
But Vega Pederson and her allies left one important detail out of their pitch: what already existing public preschool programs cost.
The campaign is clear how much 26-214's new income tax of 1.5% to 3% on high-income earners would raise—$133 million next year, rising to $202 million by 2026. (The measure allows the county to tack on another 0.8% in 2026.) And the county knows how many children it expects to serve: 7,000 by 2026.
Dividing $202 million by 7,000 yields an annual cost per student of $28,857, a total that will pay for all costs including administration, rent, etc.
However, neither the report nor the campaign says how that compares to public preschool programs today. But deep in the document—on page 35—is the fact that 3,116 Multnomah County children are already enrolled in publicly funded preschool.
How much do those preschool slots cost? We asked the Oregon Department of Education's Early Learning Division, which pays for them.
ODE spokeswoman Melanie Mesaros says there are two programs: one funded entirely by the state, which pays $12,500 per student for a full-day program, but only when school is in session. The second, which is much larger, gets a mixture of state and federal Head Start funding, is more generous, paying about $20,000 per student. Mesaros says the federally subsidized program costs more "because of comprehensive services that accompany the model." She adds that the state picks up some administrative costs for the programs above the per-student funding.
Preschool funded by Measure 26-214 would be significantly more expensive for two reasons: It would offer a year-round option rather than operating just during the school year. And the measure's proponents, led by Commissioner Vega Pederson, want to raise pay for preschool educators—from about $15 an hour now to an average of $19.91 an hour by 2022.
"Reliable care provides support to families that decreases workplace absenteeism and turnover," Vega Pederson said. "All together, these opportunities promote a healthier and more just society."
A campaign spokeswoman, Alicia Lauer, says the focus should be on the benefits Preschool For All offers, not on state costs, which the campaign has nothing to do with.
"The unprecedented community and small business support for universal preschool speaks for itself," Lauer says. "Preschool for All represents the future of policy—made by the people and for the benefit of all people in our community."