Education, always a core concern at the state Capitol, is again commanding the attention of lawmakers, teachers and administrators — plus the voters who rely on public schools, and put up the tax money to pay for it.

At the state Department of Education, much of the talk centers on expanding preschool offerings in public schools, one of the major priorities of Gov. David Ige. Without a doubt, early learning delivers a healthy return on investment: Children who get a good foundation for learning tend to find more success in academics, and in life.

Making that happen for Hawaii should entail a broad-based, cooperative effort by the public and private school systems, but the question of who sits at the helm seems about to deteriorate into a politically charged turf war.

Ige’s predecessor, former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, favored a system that deployed public funds to private preschools to give tuition support to families who otherwise couldn’t afford their children’s early education.

Clearly the emphasis has shifted to the creation of a statewide public preschool network, situated on public school campuses. Christina Kishimoto, superintendent of education, has plans for adding a preschool classroom on each of 22 campuses in the areas most in need of preschool capacity. The DOE is reviewing a list of some 30 schools to determine which would be ready to go by the 2020-21 school year.

Ige is fueling this movement: In his State of the State address, he announced plans to shift sixth-grade classes remaining on elementary campuses to middle schools, making room for future preschool classrooms.

But now the Legislature seems to want the governor’s own Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) to have administrative authority over the preschool classes. House Bill 921 is moving to establish that authority.

It should not be enacted. Without a doubt, the existing EOEL should have a role to play in the development of a program in the public schools that delivers a quality curriculum, and can offer support to both the public and private centers of early learning throughout the state.

But the plan should be for preschool classes from which children can transition seamlessly to the established kindergarten and primary-school education of the public schools. It makes more sense for this to lie within the administrative control of the DOE.

Kishimoto and staff should work closely with the executive office, which can serve as a liaison between the fledgling public preschools and the institutions with the knowledge base to help them grow. This is a worthy effort that shouldn’t run aground on the bureaucratic shoals of state government.

Of the raft of bills that remain alive this session are several that touch on various aspects of education and other key issues: taxation, homelessness, the minimum wage and the hot-button issue of marijuana’s legal status.

>> Senate Bills 12 and 114 are aimed at incentivizing teacher retention by providing housing subsidy vouchers. These may not survive the heated competition for budgetary support this session, but at least SB 387, authorizing the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. to help in developing teacher housing should get a real chance.

>> There’s reason for concern, however, about the renewed push for tax support that would benefit education. SB 1474 would increase the general excise tax to 4.5 percent with the additional revenues to fund lower and higher education. This 0.5 percentage GET increase would tend to disproportionately affect the low-income groups with less disposable income.

>> The proposal in SB 789 to increase the minimum wage incrementally to $15 an hour, starting in 2023, deserves fuller discussion. There is reason to boost the hourly rate from its current $10.10 if it’s done carefully, with some consideration for small business. This bill would offer a tax credit for certain small businesses to offset the wage-increase effects.

>> The homeless would get help through the extension of the Ohana Zones Pilot Project, if HB 1451 or HB 257 passes. This program does deserve support, but lawmakers need to hear clearly that the governor is going to act on the extension. Ige must start producing havens in the short term to offer an alternative to the streets.

>> While Hawaii lawmakers have reasoned doubts about full legalization, the state should be ready to accept the decriminalization of marijuana possession, in small amounts (HB 1383). With the legal availability of medical cannabis now established, small-scale possession should not give an adult a criminal record when fines should suffice.

>> Among various good-government measures, HB 1217, to make voter registration part of the driver’s license or state-ID application process is a welcome addition. Lawmakers: Please keep the registration part as simple as possible. It’s in the public interest to add more voters to the rolls.

That means more watchful voters helping to ensure that public officials do the right thing.