Proposition 13 and Early Childhood Education: Wave of the Future- or Bad Splash?

Abstract

Abstract On June 6, 1978, the voters of California supported Proposition 13, the Jarvis-Gann Amendment, by a two to one margin. Their vote authorized legislators to slash property taxes to one percent of the 1975–76 assessed market value and to impose stiff obstacles against raising local or state taxes to make up for lost revenue. Because public education throughout the United States is largely supported by taxes, educators the country over immediately expressed alarm about the effect the Amendment might have on the schools. Since much of early childhood education is outside the public schools, however, speculation about the effect of Proposition 13 on early childhood education has not received due publicity. We urgently need to take a close look at some of the many ways today's trends might be expected to affect tomorrow's children. Lawmakers, take heed! This incisive analysis deserves the urgent attention of all seeking to meet the needs of children and their families in the International Year of the C...