Multnomah County, Oregon, Measure 26-214, Income Tax to Fund Tuition-Free Preschool Program (November 2020)
| Multnomah County Measure 26-214 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Local education and Local income tax | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Referral | Origin Lawmakers |
A measure to establish a tuition-free preschool program and to impose an additional income tax to fund the program was on the ballot for voters in Multnomah County, Oregon, on November 3, 2020. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported establishing a tuition-free preschool program; imposing an additional 1.5% income tax on households with income over $200,000 and an additional 3% income tax on households with income over $400,000; and increasing the additional rate for households with income over $200,000 to 2.3% in 2026. |
A "no" vote opposed establishing a tuition-free preschool program and imposing an additional income tax to fund it, thus maintaining the existing income tax rate of 1.25% |
A simple majority vote was required for the approval of Measure 26-214.
County commissioners estimated the income tax would raise approximately $132 million in 2021.[1]
The approved measure increased the combined state and local income tax rate from 10.5% to 14.6%, the highest in the nation.[2]
Election results
|
Multnomah County Measure 26-214 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
286,068 | 64.09% | ||
| No | 160,317 | 35.91% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question was as follows:
| “ | Should County establish tuition-free 'Preschool for All Program' with new 1.5 to 3.8 percent tax on income above thresholds?[3] | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary was as follows:
| “ | Establishes 'Preschool for All Program' providing up to six hours per day of tuition-free, developmentally appropriate early learning, reflecting best practices. Mixed delivery model; half-day, full-day, year-round, school-year schedule options. All three, four year olds with parent, legal guardian residing in County eligible. Equitable access provided to people of color, historically marginalized communities. Before, aftercare for qualifying incomes. Board to establish provider credentialing requirements, compensation matrix including teacher pay on par with kindergarten teachers, assistants paid $19.91 per hour in 2022 with adjustments. County neutral on representation, collective bargaining on provider labor relations.
Administration by Department of County Human Services (Program), Chief Financial Officer (Tax). Establishes Board appointed advisory committee for oversight, policy recommendations. Independent performance audits. Other provisions.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text can be read here.
Support
Preschool For All led the Yes on Measure 26-214 campaign.[4]
Supporters
Political Parties
Unions
Organizations
Arguments
Opposition
Opponents
Organizations
- Taxpayers Association of Oregon
If you are aware of any additional opponents or opposing arguments that should be posted here, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Arguments
Background
Preschool for All Task Force and Report
In 2018, Portland City Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson convened a task force to develop a program to provide tuition-free preschool in Multnomah County. The task force consisted of individuals from the private, public, and social sectors. The task force made the following recommendations in its report:[5]
- use the Self-Sufficiency Standard as the income criteria for access to tuition-free preschool rather than the Federal Poverty Level,
- develop different models including but not limited to home-based, center-based, Head Start and public school-based preschool programs,
- prohibit suspension and expulsion,
- increase preschool teacher salaries,
- establish public funding source for the preschool program, and
- establish a county-wide oversight entity to oversee and administer the program.
The Self-Sufficiency Standard is a benchmark created by the University of Washington to determine "the amount of income required for working families to meet basic needs at a minimally adequate level, taking into account family composition, ages of children, and geographic differences in costs." In Multnomah County, the standard is $59,545 for a single parent of one child and $90,117 for two adults and two children.[6]
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a unanimous vote of the Multnomah County Board of Supervisors on August 7, 2020.[7]
See also
External links
Support |
OppositionSubmit links to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Footnotes
- ↑ NW Labor Press, "Preschool for All heads to Multnomah County ballot," September 1, 2020
- ↑ Willamette Week, "Study Shows Multnomah County Will Have Nation’s Highest Income Taxes for High-Income Earners if Preschool Measure Passes," October 15, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Universal Preschool Now, "Home," accessed September 9, 2020
- ↑ Multnomah County, "Preschool for All Task Force and Report," accessed September 2, 2020
- ↑ Self-Sufficiency Standard, "Home," accessed September 9, 2020
- ↑ Multnomah County Elections Division, "Notice of Measure," accessed August 31, 2020
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