The Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted Thursday, Aug. 6 to refer the Preschool for All measure to Multnomah County voters in the November 2020 election.
As previously reported, preschool in Multnomah County is among the costliest in the country, while 60 percent of families continue to live at or below the Self Sufficiency Standard. Fifteen percent of Multnomah County families have access to publicly-funded preschool. The measure aims to expand preschool access while addressing systemic racism and supporting the early education workforce.
Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, who championed Preschool for All, said at the Board meeting that the timing could not be more urgent to get the measure on the ballot. The existing inequities in preschool access have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and worsening disparities affecting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, she said.
“It is a moment that requires strong leadership and clear vision,” Commissioner Vega Pederson said. “It is a moment in which we as elected leaders, are called to take bold action to address disparities and oppression without equivocation. Referring Preschool for All gives us an opportunity to show our community – especially Black, Indigenous, and Communities of Color – that we are serious about building a world where equity is our highest priority and opportunities for marginalized and oppressed communities are expanded in meaningful ways.”
[Read more about the goals and objectives of Preschool for All]
Members of Universal Preschool NOW, a community effort with a similar mission that gathered more than 25,000 petition signatures for the November ballot, testified in support of the Preschool For All initiative Thursday. The two campaigns announced earlier in the week that they had decided to merge in order to advance a single measure.
“I am beyond thrilled that we have one measure on the ballot for universal preschool,” said Angie Garcia, a member of the Universal Preschool NOW campaign. “Multnomah County has come together to ensure that our three and four-year-olds have access to quality preschool. This is a tremendous feat that we were able to accomplish because we were unified around a common goal.”
Plan prioritizes historically underserved children
The plan explicitly prioritizes families who historically have the least access to preschool including BIPOC families, families whose children have disabilities, families who speak languages other than English, and who are experiencing poverty and economic challenges.
A diverse coalition of immigrant families, Multnomah County parents, and diverse communities advised the group on their experiences with preschool and the structural and systemic barriers which affect development.
Experts from nonprofits, including Kairos PDX, an education nonprofit focusing on underserved communities, and Latino Network, say that early childhood education is one of the most effective investments taxpayers can make.
With children’s brains being so impressionable at an early age disparities in early education can create an unstable foundation for BIPOC children, said Kali Thorne Ladd, the executive director of Karios PDX.
“The reason why the Preschool for All effort is particularly important is that it recognizes the racial inequities and it’s targeting preschool not just for children in poverty but it also factors communities of colors in that equation,” she said.
Members of the task force say it’s imperative that policy decisions are led by, not for, communities most affected by them. Parents say they are having trouble finding options they can afford, education that fits their family’s schedule, and providers that look like them.
Lydia Gray-Holifield, a parent member of the task force, testified about the importance of including parents in the decision making. “Oftentimes as Black and Brown families we are not included,” Gray-Holifield said. “We’re not even asked what they want for our children. We’re just told. You cannot make decisions for us without us.”
Measure garners support from educators, union groups
Today, wages for preschool teachers in Multnomah County are less than other educators. Under the measure, wages would increase to put preschool teacher pay on par with kindergarten teachers, and teachers assistants earn at least $18 an hour with an annual cost-of-living adjustment.
The measure also invests in continued education and workforce development. Current statistics show an annual turnover of 25 percent in the early education workforce. Education leaders involved with the task force said the plan would make much-needed adjustments to support workers financially and professionally.
“We know that the quality of education demands that our professionals working with the students are also quality professionals that are supported, both financially with professional development and with great working conditions and so that meant good wages and the right to unionize,” said Suzanne Cohen, the past president of Portland Association of Teachers.
Olivia Pace is a temporarily laid-off preschool teacher. A childcare worker since age 15, Pace said she enthusiastically supports the measure. Despite the critical role she plays for developing children, she said her wages do not reflect the gravity of her task.
“The universal right to a full and joyful education for preschool-aged children cannot possibly fall on the back of the working class Black, chronically ill 23-year-old woman making $17 an hour fully dependent on my parents’ health insurance,” Pace said.
Looking ahead
To fund universal preschool, the measure calls for a proposed tax on high income households. A 1.5% tax would be imposed on taxable income over $125,000 for single filers and $200,000 for joint filers, increasing to 2.3 percent tax January 1, 2026. An additional 1.5 percent tax would be imposed on taxable income over $250,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers.
The 0.8 percent increase in 2026 is expected to provide preschool access to preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds within 10 years.
If voters pass the unified measure in November, Multnomah County will begin implementation of a publicly-funded universal preschool system. At a later date, the Board expects to address the parallel Universal Preschool NOW measure that has qualified for the ballot. Currently, under Oregon law, petitioners are unable to withdraw their measure if their petition is validated.
Commissioner Sharon Meieran raised questions about the future of the Universal Preschool NOW measure. The Board has the option to enact and then repeal the second measure, or refer it to voters despite both groups supporting the Preschool for All measure. In the absence of a singular, unified measure, she said, the Board will have to balance the groups’ intent for one measure with the spirit of the law and the integrity of the petition and referral system.
“I just want to make sure it’s out there that it is not certain by any stretch of the imagination that a second one would not have to be referred by us or enacted in a meaningful way and not just repealed,” she said, adding that “I understand and support the desire for voters to see a single measure in support of preschool on the ballot in November.”
Despite there being another measure to act on, commissioners expressed their support for the Preschool For All measure and praised it as an example of Multnomah County leading on publicly funded early education.
“High quality culturally appropriate preschool is a critical component to a successful transition to kindergarten and then to continue development through school and beyond,” said Commissioner Susheela Jayapal. “And also amply clear is the fact that for too many families, particularly our Black and Brown families, that high quality preschool is simply not accessible in Multnomah County.”
Chair Deborah Kafoury said she’s heard from more than 1,000 people who shared their stories of the challenges of raising a child in Multnomah County. Stories included families not having enough to cover their bills, a single mother who lost her partner to cancer who has to struggle to work without affordable childcare, and a preschool teacher unable to make ends meet and struggling to send her own children to school.
"The current patchwork system of preschool and childcare in our community has too many gaps, too many barriers, and not enough options to serve all families and all children,” Chair Kafoury said. “This pandemic has exposed all of these shortcomings, turning up the financial, logistical and emotional pressure on our kids. And if it wasn’t clear before, it should be crystal clear now: affordable and accessible preschool and childcare is a linchpin in the way that our society functions.”