If Denver Referred Question 2P look familiar, that’s because Denver voters twice before have had their say on a sales tax that provides tuition support for families seeking to enroll 4-year-olds in preschool.
The new measure on ballots for the Nov. 7 election is aimed at authorizing the now-17-year-old tax in perpetuity, without a need to ask voters to renew it.
A narrow margin of Denverites in 2006 approved the initial 0.12% sales tax that launched the Denver Preschool Program, setting a rate that amounts to 12 cents on a $100 purchase. That tax came with an expiration date 10 years later.
In 2014, two years ahead of that, the Denver City Council referred a measure to the ballot that proposed to increase the tax to 0.15% — 15 cents on a $100 purchase — and extend the expiration by another decade, to 2026. Voters approved that measure with 55% support.
Now, three years ahead of time, the City Council is asking voters to vote on the tax a final time — unless there’s a need to raise the rate in the future. The council voted unanimously in May to ask the city’s electorate to continue the tax at its 0.15% rate permanently, with no set expiration.
Here’s a quick look at the ballot measure.
What would Referred Question 2P do?
The ballot language states it plainly: If approved, the existing 0.15% sales and use tax that funds the Denver Preschool Program would be permanently extended instead of expiring on Dec. 31, 2026. It includes the caveat that the tax could be altered or repealed by the City Council or city voters. But any increase in the tax would require voter approval.
Where do the preschool tax proceeds go?
Since its creation, the Denver Preschool Program says it has supported nearly 70,000 children by helping cover the cost of preschool. The program granted $18.3 million in tuition support to families last year, according to the Yes on 2P campaign, bringing the program’s total over the years to $150 million. The program is run by a nonprofit with city oversight.
All Denver families are eligible, but the tuition support provided is based on income, with priority for families with the greatest economic needs. The program says families can choose between more than 250 eligible preschools.
Doesn’t the state pay for preschool now?
Gov. Jared Polis signed a law in 2022 designed to provide funding for universal preschool for Colorado kids, an idea that voters backed by increasing tobacco and nicotine taxes in 2020. The state program launched this school year and covers at least 15 hours of free preschool per week, or more for children who meet certain qualifications.
On its website, the Denver Preschool Program says DDP support can be used to pay for more hours of preschool than the state program might cover. As the state program begins, the city program also has been expanded to offer tuition funding for 3-year-olds whose families have the highest level of financial need.
What do supporters say?
Arguments in support of Question 2P, as summarized by the city’s ballot information booklet, focus on the program’s impact, with 55% of families who receive tuition credits facing “significant economic hardship.” It cites research indicating that preschool attendance can be a key factor in children’s future success.
“Kids with access to high-quality preschool are better prepared for kindergarten, read earlier, graduate high school at high school at higher rates and go to college more often,” supporters wrote in arguments submitted for the booklet.
What do opponents say?
No committees have been formed to oppose Question 2P, and nobody submitted arguments against it for this the city’s ballot information booklet.
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