Bredesen getting high marks for pre-K initiative

That’s how much state funding Bredesen believes it will take to provide a school readiness program to the approximately 40,000 4-year-olds likely to enroll if it’s available statewide.

The governor has asked the General Assembly to increase the state’s $10 million pre-K program to $35 million by this fall with a one-time boost from lottery money. If approved, Bredesen has vowed to add money to the program every year he’s in office.

On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee passed his preschool initiative. The legislation would allow the existing pilot preschool program to be expanded on a voluntary basis, and mandates the creation of an advisory council for educational agencies that apply for such program.

Tennessee’s aggressive plan, in which funding would grow by 250 percent, has put it among a group of states seeking to significantly increase pre-K funding for the next school year.

A national report released Thursday shows that 20 states want to increase their funding.

“It’s just wonderful any way you look at it,” said Francie Hunt, director of Tennessee’s Stand for Children, a nonprofit group working to improve public schools. “That is exactly the very thing that needs to happen to support public education and support school readiness.”

The report by the nonprofit Pre-K Now group, which advocates quality pre-K programs in every state, shows governors in 20 states have requested more state funding. It ranges from a 2 percent increase in Georgia to a 4,067 percent increase in Florida.

Only Florida and New Mexico, whose pre-K funding could increase by 462 percent, have more aggressive plans than Tennessee.

“The report shows us who’s leading, who’s lagging and who’s not even trying,” said Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now. “These budgets are strong statements of the governors’ priorities.”

Funding is expected to drop in two states, Alaska and Missouri, and stay the same in 15 other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina.

During a national teleconference Thursday, Bredesen said an expanded pre-K program eventually will pay off with better student achievement and higher graduation rates.

“It’ll have a huge impact on everything,” he said.

It would likely cost Tennessee about $275 million to provide pre-K to the estimated 75,000 4-year-olds in the state. But the participation rates in other states with pre-K programs open to all 4-year-olds usually peak at 50 percent to 60 percent.

Not everyone would like to see a state-funded pre-K program.

Drew Johnson, president of Tennessee Center for Policy Research, said pre-K programs aren’t the answer. The Nashville-based nonprofit group supports free markets and private enterprise.

“The central issue, more so than the cost of the program … is the question of who should raise, nurture and educate these young children,” said Johnson. “I have a hard time believing most people in Tennessee believe the answer is a government bureaucracy rather than parents, families and communities.”