Early Childhood Amendment A Go In House But Senate Is Still Sty In The Eye, Plus: Guv And Dems Rush To Embrace Harper Tax Plan As Part Of Budget Deal, But Big Questions Surface
Once again the state House has approved a constitutional amendment--37-32--that would let voters decide in 2018 if they want to tap about $150 million a year from the state's $15 billion Land Grant Permanent School Fund for mostly very early childhood education (ages zero to five).As in years past the debate ran along familiar lines, with Dem Reps. Moe Maestas and Liz Thomson arguing that a focus on very early education would disrupt decades of failure that have put the state in the cellar in child well-being and poverty rankings. Republican Rep. Dennis Roche claimed that tapping the fund would "mortgage our future."
The argument that carried the day pointed to a study by Dr. James J. Heckman of the University of Chicago putting the rate of return on investment in early childhood education at 13% annually. A Dem spokesman saying: "Children who benefit from early childhood programs have significantly better life outcomes in education, health, social behavior, and employment. They are more likely to graduate from high school and college and they are less likely to be involved in crime. It is a moral imperative that we invest in early childhood education now.”
