Ballot Issues - Pro/Cons

 

 

Tuesday, November 7
Coordinated Election
Pros and Cons for Referred Measure

Referred Measure 2P – Denver Preschool Program 23-0513

Title: For an ordinance removing the December 31, 2026, expiration date of the existing 0.15 percent sales and use tax dedicated to funding the Denver Preschool Program and extending the tax until such authority is altered or repealed, subject to the approval of the voters at a special municipal election to be conducted in coordination with the state general election on November 7, 2023.

Background: The Denver Preschool program began in 2006 when voters approved a 0.12 percent sales tax to fund a preschool program for Denver’s four-year-old children. It featured a sliding fee scale that made the program affordable for all Denver families yet still emphasized quality and quality improvement. At that time the sunset date was 2016. In 2014 voters approved extending funding for the program until 2026 as well as increasing the sales tax to 0.15 percent. The 2014 measure also provided for raising the cap on administrative expenses from 5% to 7% of preschool tax revenue received by the corporation in any year.

The program has been administered by the Denver Preschool Program (DPP), a non-profit corporation, and has been successful in offering families in the City and County of Denver high quality preschool. In its 17 years, the program has helped 65,000 Denver children attend preschool (double the national average).

Major Provisions:

• With no expiration date on the dedicated tax, the Denver Preschool Program will be able to continue with no disruption to the Pre-K education of the designated population of Denver’s preschool children.
• The Denver preschool tax will fund only Denver residents without an increase in taxes. The Denver Preschool program will also manage the Colorado Universal Preschool Program for Denver children, and that funding will allow Denver’s program to expand the pilot program to three-year-olds.
• The fund provides scholarships that cover all costs for the lowest income families and helps with tuition for many other low-income families.

Those in favor say:

• The Denver Preschool Program (DPP), first passed by Denver voters in 2006 and reauthorized in 2014, has served more than 65,000 of Denver’s children. In 2022, DPP awarded Denver families more than $18.3 million in tuition credits to attend the preschool program of their choice. In addition to investing in Denver’s families, DPP also invests in helping our local preschools improve their quality. During COVID, DPP provided stipends to preschool educators across Denver, helping ensure childcare businesses and educators could weather the crisis.
• The Denver Preschool Program is open to all Denver families with those who need it the most receiving the highest level of support. DPP partners with Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program (UPK) to make Denver’s dollars stretch even farther. All Colorado four-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours a week of state-funded UPK and DPP helps Denver families cover much of the remaining costs so parents and caregivers can work or go to school.
• Kids with access to high-quality preschool are better prepared for kindergarten, read earlier and graduate from high school at higher rates. Without increasing taxes, we can continue this important investment in our city’s greatest asset – our children.

Pro arguments provided by the Yes on 2P Denver Preschool Program

Those opposed say:

No organized opposition was found.