‘I’m tired of being taxed’: Kansas City voters resoundingly reject mayor’s pre-K plan
Kansas City Mayor Sly James fought hard for a sales tax to pay for pre-K expansion, but on Tuesday voters overwhelmingly rejected the plan that would have capped his eight years in office.
James was asking voters for a 3/8-cent increase to the city’s sales tax — bringing it to nearly 10 cents on the dollar — to create affordable, quality pre-K programs for all 4-year-olds in Kansas City.
But with 98 percent of the precincts reporting, 67 percent of voters said no to the proposal.
“I’m tired of being taxed,” said John, who was voting at Kansas City North Community Center and declined to give his last name. The 58-year-old groundskeeper added, “I pay enough taxes as it is. I think our school district in North Kansas City can take care of its own.”
During his campaign for the tax, James touted research saying children in such programs are more likely to graduate high school, get a post-secondary education, stay out of jail and become a contributing member of the community. In addition to helping prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, he said, his plan was an economic investment in the city.
The sales tax would have raised $30 million a year for 10 years to build new facilities, renovate and upgrade existing facilities, train teachers and pay tuition discounts for parents. James’ plan was modeled after sales-tax-funded pre-K programs in Denver and San Antonio, Texas.
But superintendents in the 14 school districts with students in Kansas City opposed the plan, along with the Urban League, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP and some other social justice and economic equity groups.
Educators said the plan stripped them of control of educational decisions and how dollars would be spent. They also could not get behind a plan that would use public money to support private programs. All of the opposing groups also argued the plan was too expensive and said the sales tax would present a greater burden on the city’s poor.
Gayden Carruth, executive director of the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City, which opposed the mayor’s plan, said Tuesday night that she wanted to wait to comment until all votes were counted. But she did say school districts “will continue their work on providing excellence in K-12 education and at the same time working on expanding the pre-K programs as per their locally developed long-range plans.”
At the polls Tuesday voters expressed their disapproval.
“I think that sales tax is going to affect us to where it won’t allow our children to benefit, really, from it,” said Kenneth Hunter, 59, a receiving clerk who voted at Marlborough Community Center on The Paseo. One reason he voted no: He doesn’t have any children.
George Coughlin, a 71-year-old trial attorney, voted “absolutely” no. “There’s just nothing about it that’s redeemable, said Coughlin, who was voting at Red Bridge United Methodist Church. “We don’t need the taxes, and the program — studies show that pre-K don’t actually do much for disadvantaged children. We’ve got enough tax burden already. It would actually hurt the poor more than anybody because they of all people can least afford more taxes, more sales tax increase.”
Webb Bixby, 60, who works for KC Life Insurance, said he was uncomfortable mixing City Hall with the city’s school systems: “We have a separation, and I think that’s good.”
While the plan failed, it did have supporters.
“I think we’ve got to start somewhere with our youth, to do something about the lack of education and the lack of hope,” said Greg Koons, 72, who runs a real estate company. Koons, who was voting at Harmony Vineyard Church in Briarcliff, said he doesn’t mind the tax increase. “Not for education I don’t.”
And for Elaine Wright, 57, also voting at Harmony Vineyard, a yes vote was a personal one. She’s a grandmother of three — one who had learning issues when he went into a good pre-K program.
“They did wonders for him,” she said. “I don’t know what we would have done. It had such an impact.”
School and community officials who opposed the plan were still in favor of expanding pre-K, but not with a sales tax and not with city oversight. But officials say it may be several years before all the school districts can offer pre-K to all 4-year-olds.
Includes reporting by The Star’s Allison Kite and Bill Turque.
This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 9:35 PM.
