SAN ANTONIO -- It was the hot button issue on the ballot that had voters divided. Yesterday, the Pre-K 4 SA initiative was approved by voters in a close race, winning 53% of the total votes. The 1/8 cent sales tax increase will generate funds to give thousands of children access to full day pre-k education.
Today, Mayor Julian Castro revealed the next step for the program. City Council will present proposed locations next week for "Centers of Excellence." These centers will be actual schools where an additional 4,000 students will attend pre-k. A governing board is also expected to be seated by the end of the year. Mayor Castro said he wants the first two Centers for Excellence opened by next fall.
"We are going to be very meticulous," Mayor Castro said. "We're going to be very collaborative and thorough in ensuring that we create an excellent educational environment."
Another important piece of the plan is a Memorandum of Understanding, which outlines how the program should work for all of the school districts. Mayor Castro said superintendents have been meeting about this for months and believes they are close to an agreement.
