FACE opposes Con 4 (public money for private preschools)

Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE)  analysed Con measure 4 in detail and came out with a statement advocating a no vote.

This plan would take the money that once was available for junior kindergarten and transfer it from the public system into the private preschool system.

Writing for FACE, Mary Weir pointed out that private preschools are concentrated around areas where parents are more affluent and can afford to pay for private preschool.  Thus taking public funds away from public schools to subsidize attendence at these private preschools gives a larger benefit to the more well to do parents.

In today’s Hawaii, when most working families hold down two jobs, this is unaffordable, and there is simply no time in the day for many parents to add a side trip to a different neighborhood in order to drop off and pick up their preschoolers.

She points out that we could take the same money without a constitutional amendment and pay for public preschools and asks why this is not being discussed instead.

No constitutional amendment is needed to expand quality preschools in public schools. So why isn’t a plan for expanding the number of public preschools even on the table? Public schools accept all children, they’re accessible to all children

In advocating a no vote she talks about the well-funded campaign in favor of the measure,

I don’t doubt their sincerity and genuine love for children, but I do doubt their willingness to include the well-being of blue collar and lower income families in their plan.

 

 

 

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