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This text is a part of The 74’s EDlection 2024 protection, which takes a take a look at candidates’ schooling insurance policies and the way they could affect the American schooling system after the 2024 election.
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information outlet targeted on schooling.
Over the previous few years, it’s develop into clear that states want extra money to assist youngsters. Pandemic-related help is lengthy gone, however results from that period nonetheless linger, evident in persistent youngster care shortages and ongoing youngster behavioral and psychological well being issues. Now, states are more and more making an attempt to generate new sources of cash to assist younger kids, though in at the very least one state, a poll measure was designed to drag again on simply these sorts of efforts.
A minimum of a dozen measures had been on ballots throughout the nation Tuesday, proposing tax will increase or new income streams to pay for youngster care and different child-focused providers. Voters overwhelmingly selected to take care of or improve spending on these initiatives — although there have been some holdouts.
Right here’s a take a look at how early childhood fared this election: (This story shall be up to date as vote tallies are finalized.)
Youngster care:
Washington state: Initiative 2109 aimed to repeal a capital beneficial properties tax that handed in 2021 and has since supplied youngster care subsidies and cash for choose youngster care applications. By failing, the tax and funding stream for youngster care will stay in place. FAILED
Travis County, Texas: Proposition A referred to as for a property tax improve to lift greater than $75 million to create inexpensive youngster care spots and mitigate the lack of federal pandemic funds for native youngster care applications. PASSED
St. Paul, Minnesota: The 2024 Early Care and Studying Proposal is a property tax levy aimed toward offering public funding to youngster care. Town would increase $2 million the primary yr and add an extra $2 million annually till yr 10, with this cash going right into a particular early care and schooling fund that may assist households cowl the price of youngster care. (Town’s mayor, Melvin Carter, stated he was unlikely to enact the tax if it handed). FAILED
Sonoma County, California: Measure I requested voters to approve a quarter-cent countywide gross sales tax to create an area income stream that may assist pay for youngster care and youngsters’s well being applications, with a particular emphasis on kids who expertise homelessness. The initiative gained over 20,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November poll. LIKELY TO PASS
La Plata County, Colorado: Poll Subject 1A will redirect as much as 70 % of income from a lodger’s tax towards youngster care and inexpensive housing. PASSED
Grand County, Colorado: Poll Measure 1A will improve the county’s lodging tax from 1.8 % to 2 %, with the income paying for tourism, housing and youngster care. PASSED
Montrose, Colorado: Poll Subject 2A will improve the town’s lodge tax and put 17 % of the income towards native youngster care. PASSED
Early childhood well being, schooling and well-being:
Platte County, Missouri: The Platte County Youngsters’s Providers Fund measure requires 1 / 4 cent gross sales tax improve to create a income stream for psychological well being applications, together with early childhood screening. PASSED
Pomona County, California: Measure Y goals to reallocate at the very least 10 % of funds in an present metropolis common fund to create a Division of Youngsters and Youth. The funds would even be used to pay for youth applications, youngster care and assist for folks. LIKELY TO PASS
Santa Cruz, California: Measure Z proposed a $0.02 per ounce tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to lift funds that can be utilized for youth psychological well being and applications for kids. LIKELY TO PASS
Colorado: Proposition KK goals to ascertain a $39 million fund by imposing a 6.5 % excise tax on weapons and ammunition. Whereas many of the cash is directed at crime sufferer and veterans psychological well being providers, $3 million will fund behavioral well being providers for kids. PASSED
Missouri: Modification 5 would have established a brand new playing boat license, with the estimated $14 million in income funding public faculty early childhood literacy applications. FAILED
Nevada: Query 5 on the poll this yr gave voters the possibility to exempt diapers from gross sales tax, beginning on January 1, 2025. PASSED
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