Hawaii voters rejected the idea of using public funds for private preschool programs, defeating a proposed amendment that pitted early learning advo-cates against the public teachers union.

Constitutional amendments need a majority of yes votes — 50 percent plus one vote — among all ballots cast in order to pass, meaning blank and spoiled votes count against the initiative.

The measure — one of five proposed statewide amendments on the ballot — attracted 43.4 percent of votes in favor, while 52 percent of voters rejected the initiative.

The amendment had proposed lifting the prohibition on public funds being used to support or benefit private educational institutions. It would have given the state the ability to use a combination of preschool classrooms at public schools and state-funded slots in private preschools to eventually serve all of the state’s 17,200 4-year-olds with a publicly funded preschool education.

"Because the constitutional amendment was defeated, it is now up to the Legislature to decide whether the state will support prekindergarten funded and run solely by the Department of Education. This comes with a heavy, heavy price tag," said Deborah Zysman, executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance, the leading proponent of the initiative.

"Unfortunately, Hawaii remains the lone state in the nation where government is not able to contract with nonprofit early education providers for quality early education," she said.

Preschool in the islands has historically been provided by community-based organizations funded with philanthropic and federal support. About half of the state’s schoolchildren enter kindergarten without a preschool education.

The powerful Hawaii State Teachers Association, representing some 12,500 public school teachers, staunchly opposed the amendment, arguing that a public preschool program should be built within the public school system to serve all children, free of charge. The union said that subsidizing tuition at private preschools would take money away from public schools.

"Given the debate and media coverage of this issue, there can be no doubt that quality preschool for all children matters to us all," HSTA vice president and Kapolei High School teacher Joan Lewis said in a statement. 

She said HSTA is committed to publicly funded preschool. "Hawaii’s children and working families need all of us to make this happen."

Kaneohe resident Jerry Jordan said he voted against the measure.

"The way I look at it, it’s just an approach to taxpayer-funded baby-sitting for families where both parents are working," said the retired Navy submarine officer. 

Janelle Naone, also from Kaneohe, said she left the question blank.

"I hate that a blank vote means no. I know preschool is important for every child. They need that foundation, but I didn’t understand what it meant when it says they’ll give money to private preschools," Naone said.

more amendments decided 

Four other proposed constitutional amendments had mixed results.

>> Increasing the mandatory retirement age for state justices and judges: Voters rejected a proposed amendment that would have increased the mandatory retirement age for state justices and judges to 80 from 70.

Opponents who favored the existing age requirement said a mandatory limit is sometimes the only opportunity for change on the bench. 

Supporters of the age increase had said that forcing judges to retire is a form of discrimination and argued that sitting judges should be able to serve as long as they’re competent and fit to do so. 

>> Mandating disclosure of judicial nominees: The body that nominates state justices and judges will now be constitutionally required to publicly disclose names of nominees when presenting a shortlist of nominees to the governor or chief justice. The ballot measure passed, with 82 percent in favor.

>> Authorizing special-purpose revenue bonds for agricultural enterprises: Businesses on agricultural land will have the ability to access special financing for agricultural projects. The proposed measure edged ahead with 50.2 percent of ballots marked "yes."

Special-purpose revenue bonds are a type of municipal revenue bond that can be issued by the state to 

provide financing for qualifying private capital improve-ment projects in the public interest. The bonds do not involve state money; they are sold to private investors, who provide the actual funds in exchange for tax-exempt interest payments.

>> Authorizing special-purpose revenue bonds for dam and reservoir owners: Owners of dams or reservoirs will be able to issue special-purpose revenue bonds to improve their facilities to protect public safety, with 63 percent of voters in favor of the amendment.