Counting Pennies for Pre-K

Last month, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) reported that states made progress in increasing preschool access, quality, and funding in 2008. Meanwhile, Pre-K Now has been checking the pulse of state governors to see if those gains can be sustained through 2010. The answer, released today in its annual report Leadership Matters: Governors’ Pre-K Proposals Fiscal Year 2010, is cautiously optimistic.

According to the report, 14 governors proposed increased investments in early education for fiscal year 2010 despite severe budget deficits in most states. In nine other states and the District of Columbia, pre-k funding will be increased through the state’s school funding formula. There’s also progress in “Wilderness States” that currently lack pre-k programs. North Dakota Governor John Hoeven and Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri have proposed launching new pre-k initiatives in their states. And last month the Alaska legislature approved Gov. Sarah Palin’s plan for a pre-k pilot program.

As a sign of the times, Pre-K Now is also praising 13 governors who flat-funded their pre-k programs, recognizing that this year, simply preserving current investments is a significant challenge. Governors in five states proposed cuts to state pre-k programs.

This year’s report draws special attention to the 10 states that are facing the most serious budget gaps (between 18 and 30 percent). Governors in three of these states are proposing funding increases for their pre-k programs, five propose flat-funding, and two are proposing cuts.

To see how diverse the states’ responses are to this year’s budget crises, take a look at New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania – three states that border each other and have sizeable pre-k programs. In New York, Gov. David Patterson proposed maintaining pre-k funding at the fiscal year 2009 levels, which already incorporated an 11 percent cut in pre-k funding compared to fiscal year 2007. Across the river in New Jersey, which like New York is also facing a significant budget gap, Gov. Jon Corzine has given high priority to the state’s pre-k program, proposing a budget increase of $52 million (or 14 percent over the 2008 funding level). In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell also proposed increasing funding for his state’s pre-k program, Pre-K Counts, by $8.6 million, or 10 percent.

Of course, while governors’ leadership matters, legislatures matter too. Chances are many of the increases proposed by governors this year will emerge from budget negotiations smaller than governors may have hoped. Stimulus funds may provide a necessary boost, and many advocates and state policymakers are looking to Washington, D.C., to see how President Obama will follow up on his campaign promise of a federal investment in pre-kindergarten. Until those new funds arrive, however, the emphasis will be on maintaining quality and access until state budgets can recover.