AISD worried about paying for pre-k

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Traci Dunlap's summer is winding down. In a few days, she will kick off her 11th year teaching pre-kindergarten students at Brooke Elementary in East Austin.

"It really is true that they're little sponges they absorb everything and are so enthusiastic about school still," said Dunlap.

Last spring she lobbied state legislators to spend more on pre-K, on behalf of Education Austin . Governor Rick Perry ended up increasing the amount by $25 million, and so far, has kept the money safe by making pre-K funding off limits for across the board cuts.

"We saw it as a major success," said Don Titcombe, communications director of Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition .

Texas was spared during a time when other states were eliminating and downsizing the programs that many say put lower-income kids on a level playing field.

But in Austin, teachers are concerned because $1.2 million in stimulus dollars funneled into their pre-K program runs out at the end of the year.

"We don't know where the other half of our funding is coming from after that," said Dunlap.

Titcombe said a federal spending bill is in the works to supplement the stimulus drop-off effect schools will experience.

Dunlap is hoping local taxpayers will agree to pay a little more in a possible November tax ratification election so the district can stop relying on state and federal dollars to keep the full day program going.

A Texas A&M University study is being used to persuade voters to approve a tax hike. It found that every dollar spent on pre-K generates $3.50 back into Texas communities because students are more likely to graduate, go to college, stay out of jail, get higher paying jobs and produce more taxes.

"If we invest in our youngest learners, essentially we're putting a down payment on the future of our community," said Dunlap.

Austin ISD is also worried it will not be eligible for a $4.6 million state grant for the 2011-2010 school year they have been receiving, but Gina Day with the Texas Education Agency told KXAN News there is a good chance they will still get it.