PRE-K 4 SA

Pre-K 4 SA educates 2,000 students every year through its four education centers, and now those students, who are as young as 4 years old, are working to help others in the community via the Gracias San Antonio initiative.

San Antonio's two largest school districts collectively reported thousands of staff absences Monday, the first day back after winter break.

Vandalism to several classrooms prompted the closure of a Pre-K 4 SA campus Monday.

SAN ANTONIO – Pre-K 4 SA will open prekindergarten enrollment for its 2021-2022 school year on Feb. 1 for its four education centers and the Gardendale Early Learning Program, which teaches children in Pre-K through second grade. Parents of eligible students can apply online starting Feb. 1 or call the enrollment hotline at 210-206-7735. Each of the four education centers will be filled as qualifying applications are received, officials said in a news release. Enrollment at the four education centers is limited. Pre-K 4 SA will provide assistance to families who may need help finding other high-quality pre-kindergarten options if there are not enough seats at a Pre-K 4 SA center.

Pre-K 4 SA is a sales tax-funded program approved by voters and was renewed after last fall’s election for another eight years. Baray said she believes that children learn best when in a consistent environment. “Young children also learn best if they are with other young children,” Baray said. But now that a vaccine has arrived, she will likely reconsider in-person Pre-K for her son next fall. “So I feel a lot better about it.”Camille Nixon decided to send her 4-year-old to school because she believes kids learn best when they are with other kids.

San Antonio voters approve all three propositionsSan Antonio voters have approved all three propositions, according to voting numbers released from the Bexar County Elections Department. Proposition B - the 1/8 cent tax for workforce development - will fund a workforce training and education program. And, the 1/8 cent tax for SA: Ready to Work will be diverted to transportation after its funding expires at the end of 2025. “I’m grateful to the San Antonio voting public that they support one another, especially during a time of crisis," Nirenberg said. Voters would essentially renew the sales tax for the same purpose, as the sales tax that voters approved in November 2012 will expire in 2021.

SAN ANTONIO – Test results indicate that no other COVID-19 cases exist among students at the East Education Center, Pre-K 4 SA officials announced on Tuesday. The announcement of no additional student cases follows Monday’s announcement that no other staff members were infected with the virus, Pre-K 4 SA officials said. However, one staff member’s test results are still pending, and they will remain in quarantine until their results are released. On Sunday, Pre K 4 SA officials announced that four staff members and one student at the East Education Center had tested positive for COVID-19. Read also:No additional positive COVID-19 cases among Pre-K 4 SA East Education Center staff, officials sayPre-K 4 SA closes East Education Center after 4 staff members, 1 student test positive for COVID-19

SAN ANTONIO – No additional staff members at the Pre-K 4 SA East Education Center have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said. The announcement comes one day after officials reported that four staff members and one student had tested positive for the virus at the campus. Pre-K 4 SA officials said all students and families were tested Monday and are awaiting results. “We are happy to learn that no additional staff have tested positive and are hopeful the same will be true for children," Baray said. “We will continue to consult with Metro Health as we work through our protocols designed to keep children, families and staff safe.”Related: Pre-K 4 SA closes East Education Center after 4 staff members, 1 student test positive for COVID-19

SAN ANTONIO – In the Nov. 3 general election, San Antonio voters will decide the fate of two 1/8 cent sales tax propositions, including the continuation of Pre-K 4 SA and the establishment of a workforce program. San Antonio residents will decide if the city will move forward with the renewal of a 1/8 cent sales tax to fund eight more years of the program. Voters would essentially renew the sales tax for the same purpose, as the sales tax that voters approved in November 2012 will expire in 2021. Proposition B - 1/8 cent tax for workforce developmentAs the 1/8 cent sales tax for aquifer protection is expected to meet its maximum next year, voters will decide if that money will be diverted to fund a workforce training and education program. It would increase ATD’s share of sales tax to 3/8 cents.

SAN ANTONIO – Four staff members and one student have tested positive for COVID-19 at Pre-K 4 SA’s East Education Center, school officials announced Sunday. Due to the new positive cases, the East Education Center will be closed until further notice and students will transition to remote learning this week. As soon as Pre-K 4 SA was notified of the confirmed cases, staff implemented the following protocols:conducted contact tracing;identified children and staff needing to quarantine; andcleaned and disinfected the building. All students who were in classrooms with a staff member who has tested positive will be tested Monday as well, the learning center says. The East Education Center has since been cleaned and disinfected by Pre-K 4 SA’s custodial team.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio voters will be asked if they want to continue to support Pre-K 4 SA, an early learning program, on the Nov. 3 ballot. “Pre-K 4 SA is San Antonio’s premier early learning program, and a lot of people know about our four award-winning education centers where we serve 500 four-year-olds in each one of those every year. In the first eight years of Pre-K 4 SA, Baray said the program will have served over 450,000 children in San Antonio. This is a proven program and it has put San Antonio on the map. San Antonio is the envy of communities across the nation because we were so smart to invest early in our youngest learners.

SAN ANTONIO – Parents, if you’ve been searching for pre-kindergarten options for your kids, there’s one option that, if you meet the criteria, you may get free tuition. Pre-K 4 SA is a comprehensive early childhood initiative aimed at changing the education and workforce trajectory of San Antonio in one generation. The program offers full-day pre-kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds living in the city of San Antonio. According to the study conducted by Westat, University of Pennsylvania, and Teachers College at Columbia University, Pre-K 4 SA generates even greater benefits. San Antonio sees $156 in benefits for every $100 invested in Pre-K 4 SA.

SAN ANTONIO – In a lengthy November ballot, San Antonio voters will be tasked to decide the outcomes of two 1/8 cent sales tax propositions. MORE: Bexar Facts poll: Joe Biden leads Donald Trump 52%-35% among likely Bexar County votersEach of the three propositions has support from a majority of registered voters in San Antonio, according to a Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio Report Poll released Sept. 29. While the Bexar Facts poll generally surveys registered Bexar Facts voters, the questions for the city propositions were limited to registered voters who live in San Antonio. Voters would essentially renew the sales tax for the same purpose, as the sales tax that voters approved in November 2012 will expire in 2021. Results of a Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio Report Poll show San Antonio voters are in favor of renewing the initiative, which is on the ballot as Proposition A.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio voters will be asked about a trio of sales tax initiatives on the Nov. 3 ballot, including a familiar program - Pre-K 4 SA. Its supporters hope voters will decide to renew the tax that provides most of the early childhood education program’s budget for another eight years. Most of the children meet state criteria for a free, pre-K education, while others attend on a sliding payment scale. Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sarah Baray said school districts are allowed several years to ramp up to full-day pre-K requirement under HB 3. These families, she said, fall in a gap between being eligible for free pre-K education and being able to afford it privately.

click to enlarge Flickr / Erik (HASH) HersmanSan Antonio voters strongly support local initiatives headed to the November ballot that would use sales tax revenue to fund Pre-K 4 SA, VIA Metropolitan Transit and workforce development, according to a poll released Tuesday.However, respondents' support for the Ready to Work workforce retraining plan plummeted when they were given additional information about the source of its funding, according to a new Bexar Facts/KSAT/San Antonio Report poll The share of voters who said they'd support Ready to Work declined from 67% to 47% when they were told that implementing it would require moving the popular Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan under the city's general budget. In contrast, 66% of voters in the new poll support continued use of a 1/8-cent sales tax to fund Pre-K 4 SA, while 59% support using a separate 1/8-cent sales tax to provide additional funding to VIA. City council voted in August to free up yet another 1/8 cent of sales tax collections to fund Ready for Work, which seeks to retrain San Antonians for better job opportunities in the post-pandemic economy.But to allocate that money, council agreed to move aquifer protection under the general budget — a move opposed by some environmentalists, who caution that the new funding source won't be as robust or reliable.The Bexar Facts poll suggests Mayor Ron Nirenberg and supporters of Ready for Work may have a tough sales job on their hands ahead of November 3. At least for voters who read the fine print.Stay tuned.

Pre-K 4 SA is a comprehensive early childhood initiative aimed at changing the education and workforce trajectory of San Antonio in one generation. The program offers full-day pre-kindergarten classes for 4-year-olds living in the city of San Antonio. The study found that Pre-K 4 SA amplified the positive impact of public prekindergarten. Historically, San Antonio students (of similar demographics) have also trailed behind the state average in third-grade math. “The outcomes of this impact study are encouraging and demonstrate Pre-K 4 SA has long-term positive results for students in San Antonio.

Coronavirus prompted Council to push the issue to the November ballot, something most City Council members said they wanted to avoid earlier this year because of the length of the general election ballot and fears of voter fatigue. In late March, the board that governs Pre-K 4 SA voted to recommend Council delay the election. A question remains about how much money Pre-K 4 SA will have to commit to funding the November election. Baray told Council on Thursday afternoon that Pre-K 4 SA expects to see a loss of sales tax revenue because of coronavirus. When Baray came before Council earlier this year, she told council members that if reauthorized, Pre-K 4 SA would focus on serving more students who dont qualify for free pre-K under state regulations.

The boards of North East and Southwest independent school districts voted Tuesday to push trustee elections that were initially scheduled for May 2 to Election Day on Nov. 3. Alamo Colleges board voted Tuesday night to delay their May election and will send a letter to Gov. Abbott announced in mid-March that local governmental entities could delay May elections to November in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In San Antonio, North East ISD, Southwest ISD, and Alamo Colleges were scheduled to have trustee elections in May. Alamo Colleges trustees voted unanimously to delay the May trustee elections.

The proclamation suspended provisions of the Texas Election Code to allow local governments to postpone their May 2, 2020, elections until Nov. 3, 2020, to prevent spread of coronavirus. The move also could impact school board elections in North East Independent School District, Southwest ISD, Alamo Colleges District, and a bond election in Southside ISD. Contacted immediately following Abbotts announcement, public information officers for NEISD, Southwest ISD, and Alamo Colleges were not sure about whether their elections would be postponed. NEISD was scheduled to have five trustee seats up for election, Southwest ISD had two, and Alamo Colleges District had three. Alamo Colleges spokeswoman Kristi Wyatt said the community college system was still making a determination on how to proceed.

Parts Four and Five delve into public education inequities. Thats why the May 2 city election calling for renewal of the Pre-K 4 SA program is so important. Thanks to the Charles Butt Foundation, Barnett was the keynote speaker at the Rivard Reports third annual PK-12 Public Education Forum in 2018. Look this week for an article previewing our fifth annual public education forum, scheduled for March 24. Disclosure: Kate Rogers serves on the Rivard Reports board of directors, and the Charles Butt Foundation is a financial supporter.

Contreras learned her son wouldnt qualify for free pre-K under state eligibility guidelines, but private pre-K was too expensive for her family. The mother of three found Pre-K 4 SA, which offers a sliding scale tuition for families that dont qualify for free pre-K, and sent all her kids to the center on the West Side. Pre-K 4 SA gives children and their parents the opportunity and the access to early education that every child deserves, Kowalski said. More than 70 percent of Pre-K 4 SAs revenue in fiscal year 2019 came from the city sales tax. State lawmakers approved additional money for pre-K education during the most recent legislative session in 2019.

San Antonio voters will get to decide in May whether Pre-K 4 SA deserves to maintain its eighth-of-a-cent sales tax funding for eight more years. They were asked a range of questions about quality of life in the area, specific policies, and the performance of elected officials in addition to issues such as pre-K funding. In addition, 30 percent of the 651 people polled said they would prioritize Pre-K funding above sales tax revenue going to fund transportation, aquifer protection, all issues, or none. Last month, council members indicated they thought May to be a better fit for the sales tax reauthorization question because the ballot comprises school board races. Christian Anderson will run the campaign to reauthorize funding for Pre-K 4 SA and lead the Keep Pre-K 4 SA political action committee.

"This isn't an either-or choice," he said of funding both VIA and aquifer protection. We will be protecting the aquifer and funding transportation needs at a higher level. From local politics and culture to national news that hits close to home, San Antonio Current has been keeping San Antonio informed for years. Its never been more important to support local news sources. If quality journalism is important to you, please consider a donation to San Antonio Current.

A few elected officials looking to redirect sales tax revenues here and there have suggested that San Antonio end its funding of the citys Pre-K 4 SA program. Notably, eligibility requirements didnt change, so the same students who were ineligible to get free pre-K remain ineligible. Southwest Independent School District announced it will provide free pre-K to all students, regardless of eligibility. There are 25,000 or more 4-year-olds in San Antonio, according to Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sara Baray. A quarter of them are not enrolled in quality, full-day Pre-K programs.

Money from the approved sales tax has comprised the majority of Pre-K 4 SAs budget since it was first approved in 2012. Another $4.4 million came from a state/local match, $4.3 million came from the fund balance account, $1.5 million came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and less than $1 million came from sliding scale tuition for students who didnt qualify for free pre-K. While the average district in San Antonio spends a little more than $9,000 per pre-K student, Pre-K 4 SAs annual cost per student is closer to $11,500. However, local districts are expanding pre-K offerings as part of House Bill 3, an $11.6 billion school finance package, approved in the latest legislative sessions. Some local districts have moved to expand pre-K offerings to students who are not eligible for free pre-K, but can pay tuition on a sliding scale.

San Antonio leaders announced Monday the formation of Early Matters San Antonio, an advocacy group for early childhood education, that brings together business, civic, education, philanthropic and nonprofit leaders to raise awareness about the link between investments in high-quality early education and a strong economic future for San Antonio.