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Portland's school board votes to expand access to pre-K education in city

Portland's school board members have voted to create universal access for pre-K education in the city, saying there is no denying the need is there.

PORTLAND, Maine — It's a conversation school districts around the state are having -- expanding access to preschool education. But city officials in Portland aren't just talking about it -- they're coming up with a plan to make it happen.

The city's school board voted to make pre-K universal for families Tuesday night.

In a public forum Wednesday, the Public Affairs Committee of the Portland Board of Education broke down the decision in its kick off to the fiscal year 2020 school budget process.

It's a decision many parents in the community are pleased with.

"There is no debate that the earlier children get access to education, the better they perform over the long run," Portland resident and parent David Hopkinson said. 

Hopkinson has two children enrolled in Portland schools. In order for them to attend preschool, Hopkinson had to enroll them in a private school. He feels Portland has never invested in education, but this vote for universal access gives him hope.

School officials say the goal is to get at least 140 or more four-year-old children enrolled in pre-K over the next five years. They say it gives children from all backgrounds a chance to kick-start their education early. 

Portland's mayor, Ethan Strimling, says he has been a proponent of this idea from the start. He says the cost for families to enroll their children in preschools can cost hundreds of dollars a week, which often times will steer them away from doing so.

As the city takes on the cost, which Strimling expects to be about two- or three-million dollars of the total $350-million budget, it will fill a big need.

"When you do early childhood education, you’re helping set a child up for their career and education," Strimling said. "They’re going to be much more successful down the road, and that ends up saving money."

Parents like Hopkinson agree, saying it can also save families money in the long-run, because it might allow some parents to go back to work sooner. They also believe that extra year of school can really make a difference.

"This allows them to get into the system, begin learning the way Portland public schools are teaching and allows them to keep up with their peers," Hopkinson said. 

While the plan is still in its preliminary stages, Hopkinson believes this is a step in the right direction. He says at the end of the day, you can't put a price-tag on the value of education.

"If as a community we're able to make a stand and make education a priority in the city, then we will see the payoff of investment overtime," Hopkinson said.

The city's school board is expected to release more about its plan for universal pre-K in the coming weeks. The total cost for the expansion will be revealed at the board meeting on March 19.

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