Coalition Tells Kotek to Keep Her Hands Off Preschool for All

A group of about four dozen parents, preschool teachers and advocates gathered in front of Escuela Viva in Southeast Portland on Wednesday morning for a press conference urging Gov. Tina Kotek to stop threatening Multnomah County’s universal preschool program.

Supporters of the county’s Preschool for All expressed their belief in the program and their outrage at what they described as an “undemocratic” approach by Kotek to kill the tax. Many of them referenced the broad support Preschool for All had from Multnomah County voters, who approved the measure with more than 64% of the vote in 2020.

“We ask that you honor the dreams, the vision of Multnomah County voters, and you do not mess with Preschool for All,” said Dr. Bahia Overton, executive director of Black Parent Initiative.

The press conference was called after a week of turmoil for Preschool for All. Late on Monday, an 11th-hour amendment to Senate Bill 106 sought to prohibit Multnomah County from using revenue raised from income taxes on preschool programs that did not meet state standards. Kotek appeared to have a hand in that amendment, which came after she expressed concerns in a June 10 letter to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson about the tax driving out the county’s high-income earners.

County officials have disputed Kotek’s assertion, saying that more people are filing the PFA tax than there were in 2021. But data shows a steady decline in filers making above $500,000 in both single- and joint-filer categories since 2021. Their share of the percentage of PFA’s total revenue has also declined since 2021, from 80.5% to 69.4%. That matters because even though there are relatively few taxpayers in that top bracket, they provide most of the revenue the Preschool for All tax generates.

As WW reported on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Meek (D-Gladstone), who leads the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue, said the bill would not be moving out of his committee. “The bill is not moving this year,” he says. “I am thankful the chair and the commissioners came to testify. I was trying to convey the concerns from this body and from the governor about duplication of services and making sure that money is used efficiently.”

But advocates remain on their toes. A petition circulated by the Working Families Party, alongside seven other organizations, calls on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to protect Preschool for All. (Its webpage does not display the number of signatures collected.) Commissioner Meghan Moyer, who attended the Wednesday press conference, says she thinks the threat was “very, very real until the community poured outcry.”

“I think the threat doesn’t go away, and we have to have a conversation in Oregon about who government is there to serve,” Moyer said. “Multnomah County and the state of Oregon have to be there for the people.…I hope that the conversation can switch from what’s going on in Multnomah County to how does the state of Oregon replicate what’s going on in Multnomah County?”

Others at the press conference spoke about their personal experiences with Preschool for All and how it had benefited their families. Three parents spoke to how not worrying about affording child care had changed their lives. “As a parent, you never want to have to choose between paying your preschool bill or paying your rent,” Lydia Gray-Holifield said.

Preschool providers in support of Preschool for All also spoke at the press conference. Laralei Kane, the multisite director of Escuela Viva, said providers have worked “tirelessly” to build the program. Escuela Viva, Kane says, has been able to employ more than 50 workers across four locations thanks to the program and has been able to pay them with fair living wages.

“Through the Preschool for All program, we’ve made real progress expanding access, raising educator pay, and offering free, high-quality care to working families across Multnomah County,” Kane said. “Preschool for All helps independent providers like ours establish and grow child care centers, which are small businesses that are the backbone of our economy.”

Mary King, an economist, also disputed lawmakers’ assertion that the state already provided programs comparable to Preschool for All (the Department of Early Learning and Care has three: Employment Related Day Care, Preschool Promise, and Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten). King said those programs are part time and only available to low-income families, making them impractical for working families.

She added Preschool for All’s moving goal posts were due to pandemic-related challenges, suggested that high earners in the county are leaving for other reasons, and said the program’s large reserves—most recently reported at $485 million—were necessary to its success. “Preschool for All should have a big reserve,” she said. “This program requires significant investments in workforce and facilities. We do not have this system already.”

Moyer agreed with King, telling reporters that the larger-than-expected surplus is a good thing. She asserted that Preschool for All will be a draw to Multnomah County’s workforce by attracting young, skilled workers and will build up the county’s tax base in years to come.

“I find it ironic because the county has been heavily criticized for spending every dollar in reserve for homeless services when we had a reserve,” she said. “And then we’re getting that exact same criticism again, where we took a different approach to try to make sure that we have a program that, when we hit full enrollment, can keep that promise to every family in Multnomah County.”