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Reiner's Preschool Act Qualifies for June Primary-Election Ballot

Posted on: Monday, 16 January 2006, 12:00 CST

By The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO -- An initiative sponsored by director and Democratic activist Rob Reiner that would fund preschool for all California children has qualified for the June primary-election ballot, the Secretary of State's Office said Friday.

Reiner's Preschool for All Act would raise income taxes on the wealthy to pay for a year of preschool for all 4-year-olds. Reiner also is chairman of California's First 5 program, which provides programs for children up to age 5.

The initiative would raise an estimated $2.4 billion a year by increasing income taxes by 1.7 percent for individuals who earn at least $400,000 a year, or couples earning at least $800,000. It also would increase training for preschool teachers and require that they be paid at the level of public school teachers in the same county.

Parents would pick which preschool their children attend, although attendance wouldn't be mandatory.

The initiative's supporters say only one in five California kids currently has access to quality preschool.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell also backs the initiative, which he said would help the state raise achievement levels for all children.

The initiative needed valid signatures of at least 598,105 registered voters to make the ballot. Reiner announced in November that he had collected more than a million signatures.

Source: Daily Breeze

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