FILE - (Left to right) Julian Orizola, 5, and Sam Ring, 4, along with other classmates, listen to instructions during class at Escuela Viva Community School’s Southeast location, Oct. 26, 2023. The bilingual child care program is part of Multnomah County’s Preschool for All.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A little more than two weeks after Gov. Tina Kotek expressed her concerns about Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program in a letter to county chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Kotek has given county leaders a deadline to make changes.
“I stand firm in my position that the County must walk and chew gum at the same time — continue to serve the children it is serving, amend the tax, and fix the program before the next tax year to reduce the burden on Multnomah County residents,” Kotek said in a press release Thursday.
Vega Pederson responded to the governor’s statement Thursday afternoon, pushing back forcefully.
“It’s disappointing that the Governor is doubling down on undercutting a program that is successfully serving thousands of young children, building a much-needed early education workforce and allowing thousands of parents to participate in our wider workforce in the largest county in our state as a means to push for drastic cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers,” Vega Pederson wrote in a message sent to OPB.
The governor’s press release doesn’t spell out an “or else” scenario, but events in the Oregon Legislature over the last week give some indication of what Multnomah County could face from critics in Salem, if the preschool program doesn’t change.
Earlier this week, Senate Democrats amended Senate Bill 106 to sunset the Preschool for All program in two years and prohibit Oregon’s most populous county from continuing its income tax to fund preschool or early childhood education programs. That proposal has not advanced.
Preschool for All launched in 2022, offering preschool slots to more than 700 youngsters in Multnomah County. Officials say the program is on track to provide early education to 3,800 kids in the upcoming school year.
But that number is still far from the childcare and preschool demand. Multnomah County officials estimate the program will need to expand to 11,000 slots to realize its goal of free universal preschool for all families by 2030, a promise made to voters five years ago.
The program charges 1.5% on earnings above $125,000 for individual taxpayers, and above $200,000 for households. Taxpayers are charged at a 3% marginal rate on income above $250,000.
In the letter Kotek sent to Vega Pederson on June 10, the governor suggested high-income families are leaving Portland to avoid paying the preschool tax. County officials say Kotek’s accusation was based on outdated tax information.
Kotek didn’t repeat her assertion in her statement Thursday, but she pointed to problems implementing the Preschool for All program and complained of unspent tax money.
“The program as it stands cannot fulfill its promise to Oregon children,” Kotek wrote Thursday.
“It is breaking beneath its own weight, with at least $485 million in unspent funds combined with spotty implementation, scope creep, and a line of providers waiting on the other side of stacks of paperwork to serve families while tax dollars continue to be collected.”
An audit released in April also concluded that Multnomah County has collected hundreds of millions of dollars beyond what it had spent, and found the county risks losing credibility with voters if it doesn’t expand services more quickly.
Vega Pederson said Preschool for All passed with support of nearly two-thirds of voters, and any changes should be made in partnership with the public.
“The next steps we take on Preschool for All will include the Board of County Commissioners and the community, as any policy should, especially one passed by 64% of Multnomah County voters,” Vega Pederson wrote.
During this week’s legislative debate over Preschool for All, Sen. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone, accused county officials of not sufficiently ensuring support goes to families most in need.
County leaders responded that they do prioritize low-income families, but with a goal of universal preschool, the long-term plan is to ensure all families are served, not just those with the least ability to afford market-rate preschool.
At a press conference Wednesday, about 100 supporters of Preschool for All lobbied against the push from Kotek and legislative Democrats to end the program Multnomah County voters created five years ago.
In her statement Thursday afternoon, Vega Pederson said more than 70,000 letters have been sent in response to the “attempts to dismantle [Preschool for All] at the state level”.
In her Thursday statement, Kotek emphasized making the program work better, rather than ending it.
“Multnomah County’s Preschool For All program is well intended and works for many families,” Kotek said.
“It represents hope, possibility, and opportunity, for families and for children. I get that — and will fight for the goal and the smart governance it takes to achieve that goal.”
In her statement, Kotek called for “a statewide plan to improve access to affordable childcare and preschool across the state.”
On that goal, Vega Pederson agreed with Kotek, writing: “There absolutely should be a statewide program serving all Oregon children.”
But Vega Pederson ended her statement arguing Multnomah County should be built up as a success to “light the way for the rest of the state,” rather than having the county’s children “wait for quality preschool until some uncertain future day when there is a statewide plan.”
