Mayor Bill de Blasio is telling Albany to get with the program when it comes to funding Universal Pre-Kindergarten.
Speaking along with Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña at P.S. 130 in Little Italy, he released more details on his plan to implement universal pre-K in the next two years.
Critics of the mayor’s plan say it faces funding and teacher staffing challenges.
De Blasio says there is currently a surplus of 8,000 seats that could be used for the pre-K program in the fall.
The mayor maintains the major obstacle is funding.
“Give us the ability to raise our own resources from our own city to get this done. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: A small income tax on the wealthiest residents of our city–one that will have a very minimal impact on their economic reality will create an extraordinary impact for this city, for its children, for its families, for its school systems. And that money will go into lock-box funding for universal pre-K and for after-school programs for middle school kids,” de Blasio said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to pay for universal pre-K with state funding.
The mayor wants to pay for it with a tax on the city’s wealthier residents, saying funding can always be taken away.
Legislators in Albany would still have to approve a tax hike.
Meantime, it appears as though most New Yorkers support the idea of a state funded universal pre-Kindergarten program.
A new Siena poll shows 71 percent of those polled support the governors plan to use tax dollars for the program.
Twenty-six percent voiced opposition to the plan and 54 percent of respondents said they would even be willing to pay more taxes to pay for universal pre-K.
The poll was conducted last week and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
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