An alliance and the teachers union are on opposite sides of the ballot measure

The debate over universal preschool is heating up with the launch of competing campaigns to rally support for and against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow public funds to be spent on private early childhood education programs.

One of five proposed amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot will ask voters whether the state can fund partnerships with private preschool providers to build capacity to eventually serve all of the state’s 17,200 4-year-olds.

Officials say a combination of public preschools, private preschools and state-funded slots in private preschools is needed to serve all 4-year-olds.

Hawaii is one of 10 states without state-funded preschool. About 40 percent of Hawaii keiki attend preschool, at an average cost of $803 a month.

If the amendment passes, the state also would be able to regulate the educational outcomes of preschool programs. Now preschools are regulated as child care programs because the state Constitution prohibits public funds from being spent to support or benefit any sectarian or nonsectarian private educational institution.

On one side of the ballot issue, the Good Beginnings Alliance, a nonprofit advocate for early learning, is urging voters to support the initiative, arguing that the move will make preschool more widely available for families.

On the other side, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the union for public school teachers, opposes the amendment, arguing that preschool programs should be available to all children, free of charge, at public schools.

The ballot question, approved by the Legislature in 2013, will ask, “Shall the appropriation of public funds be permitted for the support or benefit of private early childhood education programs that shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex or ancestry, as provided by law?”

GOOD BEGINNINGS Alliance on Tuesday launched its “Yes on 4” campaign, encouraging voters to approve proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 4.

“We are asking voters in the community to vote ‘yes’ on Question 4 to ensure that our state can contract with community-based preschool providers so that we can give all those kids access and make sure that they are ready when they hit the ground in kindergarten,” Good Beginnings Alliance Executive Director Deborah Zysman said at a news conference held at the Seagull School Early Education Center.

Dee Jay Mailer, former CEO of Kamehameha Schools, which operates about 30 preschools statewide, sits on the steering committee for the “Yes on 4” campaign.

“These are the lucky children,” Mailer said, motioning to the Seagull preschoolers, “children whose parents have brought out their wallets and made sure that they could afford preschool, and good for them. But half of the children out there aren’t here. Those are the ones we’re fighting for as well.”

HSTA President Wil Okabe said teachers recognize the benefits of early childhood education but believe that the proposed constitutional amendment will create an inequitable preschool system because lowincome families would still have to pay tuition at private preschools.

“If it passes, the perception will be that the state can use public funds to fund private preschools. But the cost of preschool for families won’t be covered, not even for the neediest families,” Okabe said. “That’s why we’re voting ‘no.’ For us I think it’s a philosophy of looking at all students. We have to take that stance. We believe it should be for all students.”

He said the union has produced TV commercials that will start airing next week, and is working to form a coalition of other supporters.

STATE SEN. Jill Tokuda, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and a supporter of universal preschool, said no other state has been able to run a purely public preschool system because the cost is prohibitive.

“Every other state in the country has learned basically that they need a mixed delivery system: public preK classrooms, partnerships with private preschools, family-child interactive learning centers. They need to be able to have those tools to make sure that we can most effectively stretch those tax dollars,” Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe) said.

“It really is high time that the public sector, that government, put some skin in the game, and that’s what this is really about with this constitutional amendment.” She asked, “Do we step up and join the rest of the country in publicly funding early learning? Do we make sure that our youngest of children start kindergarten ready to learn?”