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San Antonio, TX’s Pre-K 4 SA: A November 2020 Ballot Measure Case Study

A case study about how campaign organizers in San Antonio, TX, renewed a voter-approved children's fund for pre-K.

San Antonio, TX’s Pre-K 4 SA: A November 2020 Ballot Measure Case Study

In 2012, voters in San Antonio, TX, levied a ⅛ cent sales tax to establish a citywide early childhood education program called Pre-K 4 SA. The program offers free preschool, meals, and transportation for qualifying children, as well as a grant program and job training for teachers. The original ballot language required voters to renew the sales tax that funded the program every eight years after its passage. In March 2020, the Keep Pre-K 4 SA campaign kicked off with plans to bring the renewal vote to the ballot in May 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the state to push the election to fall 2020, which significantly altered the campaign’s timeline and strategy. The campaign adjusted to the new ballot date, and in November 2020 voters approved the reauthorization of the sales tax that will generate approximately $36 million annually for Pre-K 4 SA.