This November, San Antonio voters will decide whether to reauthorize another 20 years of Pre-K 4 SA, the landmark tuition-free early childhood education program originally set to expire in 2029.
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), who brought the idea of early reauthorization to his colleagues, said that getting voters’ input during the 2026 midterm election would allow for more “thoughtful long-term planning” on a program that already proved its popularity when voters re-upped it in 2020.
This time, the city is also asking voters to reauthorize for 20 years, a longer timeline compared to when voters first passed it under then-Mayor Julian Castro in 2012.
Pre-K 4 SA is funded through a voter approved 1/8-cent sales tax and is about to see its first class of enrollees graduate from high school next year.
If voters agree to reauthorize, staff said Pre-K 4 SA would increase access to toddler seats, which could be through its own campuses or with other providers that are part of its San Antonio Shared Services Alliance. If voters don’t reauthorize then the program expires in 2029.
The program would also invest more in early childhood services for families that work nontraditional hours, like nights, weekends and situations that need “drop-in” care.
It would also help Pre-K 4 SA improve the quality of early childcare in San Antonio overall and make it more affordable by leveraging “public-private” partnerships.
The proposal will show up as Prop A on the ballot.
What is the City of San Antonio’s Prop A?
Ballot language: Reauthorization of the Pre-K 4 SA Early Childhood Education Program and renewed adoption of a sales and use tax at the rate of one eighth of one percent for the purpose of continued financing of authorized programs of the San Antonio Early Childhood Education Municipal Development corporation for a maximum period of twenty (20) years following the expiration of the current reauthorization of the Pre-K 4 SA Program in 2029.
