Union opposes preschool initiative

One of five proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot will ask voters whether the state can fund partnerships with private preschools to build capacity and ultimately serve all of the state’s 17,000 4-year-olds with a publicly funded preschool education.

The ballot measure has become a divisive issue among early-learning advocates and the union for public school teachers.

The Good Beginnings Alliance-Children’s Action Network, a nonprofit advocate, is urging voters to support the initiative, arguing that the move will make preschool more widely available for families, especially low-income families.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, on the other hand, strongly opposes the amendment, arguing that preschool programs should be available to all children, free of charge, at public schools.

Hawaii is one of 10 states without state-funded universal preschool, and the only state in the country that prohibits public funds from benefiting private educational institutions.

Half of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds enter kindergarten without a preschool education, a rate that has remained relatively flat the past five years.

Research studies have shown that children provided with the opportunity for high-quality early childhood education are more likely to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. Other research asserts that high-quality preschool programs generate returns on investment for the public in the form of reduced welfare, crime, substance abuse and special education costs.

The push for a public early education program in Hawaii has been a major initiative of outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie. But legislators have been hesitant to adopt any plans without first knowing the outcome of the proposed constitutional amendment.

Preschool in the islands has historically been provided by community-based organizations funded with philanthropic and federal support. The state for the first time last year designated public funds — $3 million — for preschool education, establishing pre-kindergarten classes at 18 public schools to serve about 420 students.

But the HSTA remains steadfastly opposed to state funds being used outside of the public school system.

"Constitutional amendment No. 4 would take money away from the public schools and benefit private preschools," said HSTA President Wil Okabe. "We feel that because the infrastructure is in place — there is a public school in every community — and we have certified and trained teachers, we can do it. Our No. 1 issue is equity and accessibility — that no kids be left behind."

The union contends that tuition subsidies will not cover the entire cost of preschool for needy families.

"It sounds good. People might perceive that if this amendment passes that the cost will be 100 percent covered," Okabe said. "This will not cover the full cost and will prevent the neediest families from having equal access to preschool."

GG Weisenfeld, director of the Executive Office on Early Learning, said that’s not necessarily true.

"It will depend on the level of funding. When the state contracts with a provider, the contract services might pay for the whole thing, or may not," she said.

The union also is concerned about the separation of church and state, because many private preschools have religious affiliations.

Weisenfeld said, "With state funds, there are certain things you cannot do, like purchase religious materials or implement a religious curriculum."

Mike Rockers, superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, which serves about 1,200 students in preschools and early learning centers statewide, said his office supports the amendment.

Rockers said the hui believes "that every child should at least be given the opportunity to attend an early learning program or preschool, regardless of ability to pay."

Early-education supporters say a mixed-delivery system is the most cost-effective route to expand capacity and serve more keiki. The amendment, if approved by voters, would give the state the ability to use a combination of public preschool classrooms at public schools and state-funded slots in private preschools.

"It will mean that families would be able to attend state-funded programs housed in either the public schools or community-based preschools, which is what we mean by mixed-delivery system," said Weisenfeld. "If the amendment passes, it will mean that we can begin the process of setting up the next steps to be able to contract with community-based providers."

She said those next steps will take time, meaning a public preschool program likely wouldn’t be ready until the 2017-18 school year.

The first step would be submitting legislation next year that would establish a statewide early childhood education program with a yet-to-be determined budget request. If that passes, administrative rules would be drafted, followed by requests for proposals and contracts with providers.

"If the amendment passes, there is absolutely no money allocated," Weisenfeld said. "All of these steps include input from the community and they need to go in that order."

If a public early learning program is created down the line, private preschools that choose to participate in the program would have to abide by contract terms that Weisenfeld said would include quality indicators such as educational outcomes for students.

That type of regulation currently doesn’t occur because the state doesn’t contract with private preschools. Preschools are regulated for health and safety as child care programs under the state Department of Human Services.

Receiving state funds also will mean that participating preschools could not discriminate on their admission policies using requirements such as ability (such as testing to get in) or religion.

If the amendment fails — a majority of at least 50 percent of votes plus one vote is needed to pass — "it means that the state can only work within the public sector to create state-funded preschool classrooms," Weisenfeld said.

That route is expected to take significantly longer than a mixed-delivery system.

"The state even estimated that if they had to go the (Department of Education-only) route, it would take at least 20 years versus if the state can contract with community-based preschools and use infrastructure that’s already there, it could service 80 percent of 4-year-olds within four to five years," said Deborah Zysman, executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance.

"We’re really trying to get the word out that a vote no or a blank vote does not mean a system will get built in the DOE. No state has been able to do a purely public model in large part because costs are so high," she added. "If people vote no or leave it blank, we’re stuck with the only avenue being building it within the DOE. We’ve had that option on the table always, and we’ve not been able to do it."