Branstad's Preschool Plan

The debate over state-funded preschool has been no play date for Gov. Terry Branstad.

Members of his own Republican Party want to scrap voluntary public preschool, arguing that it's too expensive or of no real value or that it's some big government takeover. And Democrats are eager to brand any change Branstad proposes as callously catapulting kiddies to the curb.

So Branstad tiptoed through that minefield and stepped forward with a plan Monday that seeks a middle path. And I think he deserves credit for being a grown-up.

Branstad wants to remake Iowa's free-for-all, $71 million preschool program for 4-year-olds into a $43 million scholarship program for low-income kids. Scholarships could be used at any preschool that meets a series of state standards, public or private.

All parents would pay something for preschool, as little as $3 monthly and as much as $133, based on income up to 300 percent of poverty. But families earning incomes of more than 300 percent, $67,000 for a family of four, would be on their own to pay the preschool bills.

Critics raise legitimate fears, like how this plan will impact access to quality programs for families too “affluent” to get scholarships but who still struggle to make ends meet. Branstad insists more kids will be in preschool under his program than the current one, but like all grand gubernatorial promises, skepticism is in order.

Still, let's consider how far Branstad has come on this issue. As a candidate for governor, he said at a Republican primary debate here in May that state-funded preschool is a “terrible mistake.”

Branstad now acknowledges that preschool is valuable, and that the state has a role in measuring quality and making sure more kids get enrolled. And he insists that participating programs must meet high state quality standards that can be measured and evaluated.

 His plan eliminates the requirement that teachers be certified, which is a red flag, but it does require that instructors in preschools that get state bucks must have bachelor's degrees and early childhood certificates.

Beyond state support and parents' payments, Branstad hopes to allow Iowans to donate to preschool scholarship funds, and get a tax credit for doing so.

And $43 million is not insignificant. It's better than a fat zero proposed by House Republicans. I think Branstad's budget projections are overly gloomy, (the state revenue picture is actually improving) but I think his preschool plan is really more about his governing philosophy than pure dollars. And his big November victory means he gets to pursue policies consistent with that philosophy. Elections mean something.

And it's a start, not an end. Democrats who run the Senate swiftly rejected it, but that's all part of the usual budget dance. The real process begins now. We'll know by May whether they can find compromise or need a time out.

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