A ballot measure to extend and raise Denver’s preschool sales tax is headed to voters after it won approval Monday night from the City Council.
Eight years ago, the current preschool sales tax of 12 cents per $100 purchase squeaked by, winning voters’ approval by a 1.2 percent margin.
The new measure, if approved by voters Nov. 4, would add 3 cents more to the tax rate. It also would ask voters to extend the tax, which is set to expire in two years, until 2026.
Supporters are hoping that the program’s track record — it’s given $55 million in tuition credits for 32,000 children to attend preschools — will make a stronger case this time with voters.
Program backers, including Mayor Michael Hancock, say the tax increase would reinstate axed summer programming, keep up with growing tuition, and accommodate increasing demand for full- or extended-day programs.
“Our school district benefits greatly by having all children who have participated in this program enter kindergarten ready to succeed,” Cheryl Caldwell, Denver Public Schools’ director of early childhood education, said during Monday’s council meeting.
Most speakers were affiliated with DPS or the Denver Preschool Program. No attendees testified against the proposal during the public hearing.
JoMarie Garcia, the single mother of an incoming first-grader, hailed the program, saying she couldn’t afford preschool otherwise. Her daughter finished preschool able to read, she said.
Backers cite studies showing that children who have attended preschool with the program’s help have made strides in kindergarten and beyond.
One study performed for the program showed that by the third grade, 64 percent of alumni were rated advanced or proficient in reading on standardized tests, versus 58 percent of Denver children who had not gone through the program. (Some may have attended preschools without the tuition credits.)
The council approved the proposed question 10-1.
Jeanne Faatz, who opposed the original preschool tax, voted no, saying the city shouldn’t meddle in an area where federal, state and school district programs are at work.
But Chris Nevitt and several other council members called the preschool tax a proven investment.
Under the program, city families with 4-year-olds qualify for tuition credits based on economic need and the quality of the preschool they are seeking.
A higher tax, supporters say, may enable the program to begin serving some 3-year-olds.
The increase would push the preschool sales tax to 0.15 percent, making Denver’s combined sales tax rate 7.65 percent.
Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JonMurray
