November 30, 2015 2:52 PM

Advocates focus on quality over quantity in governor's signature pre-k program

“When people complain about capping this at $130 million when we cut $200 million in 2011, it’s only telling half the relevant story.”

A hearing to review the proposed rules around Gov. Greg Abbott’s high-quality pre-kindergarten initiative on Tuesday is getting plenty of scrutiny among the state’s early education advocates.

Support for pre-kindergarten funding – even bipartisan support -- has come and gone in past sessions, to greater or lesser success. To move the needle, this signature effort out of the governor’s office must focus on success over funding, said Jason Sabo, the lobbyist who worked with the broad philanthropic consortium that backed early childhood education funding last session.

“The school districts that got the grants in past sessions were not necessarily the ones with the best programs. There were ‘haves’ and ‘have nots,’” Sabo said. “When people complain about capping this at $130 million when we cut $200 million in 2011, it’s only telling half the relevant story. This is about quality, not quantity.”

Sabo compares Abbott’s quality focus to peewee football season.

By Kimberly Reeves