Toward a (truly) universal pre-K in NYC

Mayor Bill de Blasio has unveiled a campaign to win a tax on high-earning New Yorkers to vastly improve the city's pre-kindergarten and after-school programs, reports Al Baker in The New York Times. De Blasio has assembled a high-powered taskforce and media campaign to apply political pressure in Albany, where he needs state leaders' approval to raise the city's tax rate to 4.41 percent, from 3.87 percent, on income over $500,000, a difference of about $530 for every $100,000 above that threshold. There will be hurdles. Democrats in the Legislature support the plan but face re-election next year, as do Republican counterparts and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Republicans, who have partial control of the State Senate, have opposed tax increases and can effectively block any legislation in the chamber. Cuomo, a Democrat who wants to reduce taxes, has found allies among them, though he also said he supports de Blasio's ultimate goal; he and legislators could possibly seek alternative ways to pay for pre-kindergarten expansion, but this would almost certainly require expanded pre-k across the entire state. The city media campaign includes a website, upknyc.org, and an accompanying video of children in school, narrated by de Blasio's wife Chirlane McCray. The video has been sent to tens of thousands of city residents. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.