Proposition 82

I'm not sure why this interests me. Probably because it's another "hype" story - lots of emotions. It's definitely a cart before the horse story. Where's the program? Where's the plan? To just throw sentiment on a table and then expect only the wealthy to support it is a little nuts. Educating a very young child is a parents' prerogative - not the state's and not Rob Reiner's. Do people really want this?

San Francisco Chronicle
Ilene Lelchuk, staff writer

Preschool Plan's Surprising Debate Traditional Allies Split on Ballot Measure for Free Early Education -- Teachers Groups, Chambers of Commerce, Politicians Differ


A ballot measure to create something as wholesome as free preschool for every 4-year-old in California has sparked a fierce political fight, and some participants in the dispute have taken surprising stands.

The powerful California Teachers Association has endorsed Proposition 82, but a group of Montessori teachers is speaking out against the measure. Various chambers of commerce have lined up on either side. And even Republican business leaders are at odds over actor-director Rob Reiner's Prop. 82, which would raise taxes for the wealthiest Californians.

As the political debate spreads through Sacramento, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't taken sides. But some of his allies have -- opposite sides. Former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan, the governor's former education secretary, contributed to the Prop. 82 campaign, while the state Chamber of Commerce, a strong Schwarzenegger ally, opposed it.

Meanwhile, state Senate Pro Tem President Don Perata, a Democrat, withdrew his support for the measure Tuesday because, he said, it would direct too many resources to families who already can afford preschool. His change of heart raised questions about whether other Democrats might follow suit.

Reiner, a well-funded and well-connected Hollywood icon, has campaigned on the notion of improving education for the state's youngest residents. He says he does not plan to run for governor despite speculation that he is laying the groundwork for a candidacy.

The measure drew $2.4 million in contributions in 2005, much of it from Reiner's earnings as producer of Castle Rock Entertainment and from his father, actor and comedian Carl Reiner. Other prominent donors included Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad, Warner Brothers President Alan Horn, author Robert Mailer Anderson, Paypal co-founder Elon Musk, DreamWorks Studios CEO David Geffen, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and San Francisco financier Warren Hellman, a Republican.

Californians to Stop Higher Taxes, reorganized in November to fight Prop. 82, raised roughly $185,000 last year. Contributors included San Francisco Republican John Fisher of the family that owns the Gap children's and adult apparel chain.

It won't be clear until late this month, the next filing deadline for campaign contribution reports, how much a second newly formed committee, Stop the Reiner Initiative, has raised.

Prop. 82's strength, political analysts say, is that education initiatives easily capture voters' hearts, especially when academic studies show more benefits from preschool than downsides.
"The proponents have on their side something that is widely popular. Conceptually, this is sort of apple pie," said veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who is based in the Los Angeles area.

"Education has been consistently the most important issue to Californians for over a decade," he said. "And when you talk about education, voters instinctively focus on younger kids. There's a sense you have to start kids on the right track.

"But," he added, "nothing is an easy sell."

Talking about why the California Teachers Association endorsed Prop. 82, President Barbara E. Kerr, a longtime kindergarten teacher, said she could see a big difference in her classroom between preschool graduates and those who did not attend and had a rough time adjusting to the classroom.

"A lot of the time, the kids didn't know what they were doing there because they've never gone to school before," said Kerr, who counted on them being able to know their alphabet, colors, shapes and numbers and other class skills. "Can they use scissors? Can they paste, or do they eat it?"

On the flip side, Pamela Rigg, a Montessori preschool teacher in San Leandro and president of the California Montessori Council, worries that Prop. 82 will set up a system in which schools that accept public dollars to provide free preschool would be subject to new state classroom guidelines, which would not be set until after the initiative passes.

"Why would we turn over our very successful system to a failed (state) system?" Rigg asked.
She also worries that if her school doesn't participate in the public program, she will lose income. Tuition at her school is $3,650 a year.

"Any parent that has a 4-year-old and is looking for a three-hour daily program, well, free is very difficult to argue against," she said.

Many business groups, including the Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland chambers of commerce, endorsed Prop. 82 for its potential benefits, which some studies say could include fewer high school dropouts and a better-educated workforce.

But the state Chamber of Commerce opposes initiatives that raise taxes, as do the Los Angeles Metro Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
"We run the risk of (wealthy residents) leaving the state or changing their behavior to avoid this tax," said Jon Coupal, president of the Jarvis group.

"Prop. 82 will increase the size of the administration," warned Hugo Merida, president of the Los Angeles Metro Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and father of four. "L.A. Unified already is a huge organization ... and it has an administration that we have been trying to break down for ages."

The Capitol was buzzing this week with questions about whether Reiner, chairman of First Five, a state children's commission, used public funds to promote Prop. 82. He took leave Feb. 24 as chairman of the agency, which was created by the Proposition 10 tobacco tax initiative for early childhood programs, which Reiner also spearheaded.

Several politicians have called for audits of the commission.

Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Alameda, who has been fighting alongside Reiner for several years to make preschool accessible to all children, predicted that the questions about First Five spending won't dampen voter support.

"I think it was a blip in the press," she said Monday. "We need to do this for all 4-year-olds if we want the K-12 system to improve."

Yet the future of Prop. 82 could get even murkier before June, especially if the governor and Legislature place more tax measures and a proposed $220 billion in capital projects on the November ballot.

Voters might go to the polls worried about what they will be asked to pay for next, said veteran Sacramento political consultant Phil Giarrizzo.

"If I vote for this today, what will happen in November?" said Giarrizzo, who disclosed he is in discussions with the Prop. 82 campaign to provide consulting services. "Voters understand there are very serious unmet needs. But some Democrats are saying we are carrying too much debt; some Republicans are saying we spent it on the wrong things. You have a cacophony of sounds."
A look at Proposition 82

Preschool for all: The Preschool for All Act, which will appear on the statewide ballot June 6 as Proposition 82, would provide every 4-year-old in California the opportunity to attend a half-day preschool program for free.

Teachers: The measure would require that by 2016 all preschool teachers have an Early Learning Credential and a bachelor's degree, including 24 units in early learning.

Money: Funding would come from a new 1.7 percent tax on the wealthiest Californians -- couples with annual incomes of more than $800,000 or individuals who make more
than $400,000.

Management: The state superintendent of public instruction, who oversees California's K-12 public schools, would manage the preschool system.